INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
COTABATO CITY 鈥� Alarmed by rising cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a regional lawmaker has urged the Ministry of Health (MOH) to intensify its program in combating the spread of the disease.
Dr. Hashemi Dilangalen, a member of the Bangsamoro Parliament, has filed a proposed resolution asking the MOH to address the growing number of Bangsamoro with TB.
He cited a report from the MOH showing that in 2024, the region had registered 13,547 TB cases.
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In 2025, the cases from January to May, or in five months, already reached 5,402.
鈥淭hese are only for reported cases but there are also undiagnosed and unreported cases,鈥� Dilangalen added.
Dilangalen, chairperson of the parliament鈥檚 committee on health, said an MOH study showed that for every 100,000 population in the region, 247 were tested positive for TB.
鈥淭here is a need for an intensified and massive information and awareness campaign, especially in areas known as geographically isolated and difficult,鈥� he said.
He said TB is one of the major and leading public health challenges in BARMM. 鈥淒espite progress in some areas, TB remains a persistent burden that affects not only individual patients but also families and communities,鈥� he said.
His resolution is also calling for the establishment of TB prevention programs in every Rural Health Unit across the region. /das