Eastern Samar province is a recipient of two “landmark” health projects to strengthen its fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and improve women’s health.

DOH Eastern Visayas regional information officer Jelyn Lopez Malibago said in a phone interview Wednesday these two projects are jointly funded by the health department and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Officials formally turned over the PHP10-million Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility (TTMF) and the PHP7-million Women’s Health on Wheels (WHoW) program to the provincial government on Tuesday in a ceremony held at the Eastern Samar provincial hospital grounds in Borongan City.

“The TTMF would serve as an extension of the hospitals in the province in catering probable, confirmed, mild, and moderate Covid-19 cases with a 10 to 12 bed capacity. The purpose is to bring down the hospital utilization rate in case there would be a spike of Covid-19 cases again,” Malibago said.

WHoW, on the other hand, is an emergency mobile maternity modular facility designed to support the delivery of women’s health services, especially on Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Health Response to Gender-Based Violence, in the aftermath of an emergency.

The facility will best serve areas with limited reproductive and health care access.

Eastern Samar is the first recipient of the program in the Eastern Visayas region. (PNA)