IMT provides medical assistance in Moro areas
text GANDHI KINJIYO & SAMIRA GUTOC

The International Monitoring Team (IMT)- 3 led by Malaysia, in cooperation with the local governments of Malapatan, Saranggani and Marawi City distributed part of 2 million peso worth of medicines in their medical and dental missions for poor Moros and B’laan residents on Jan. 8 and 9 for the former and Jan. 15-16 for the latter.

The humanitarian mission headed by Dr. Amran Bin Amir Hamzah, the IMT medical officer, and his assistant, Sgt. Izhar B. Haji Shuib said the mission was intended for the peace loving people of Mindanao.

Dr. Antonio Yasaa, Sarangani provincial health officer, joined the two in giving free check ups to 554 constituents who complained of headaches, digestive disorder, fever, runny nose, body pains, asthma, skin diseases and other common ailments.

The IMT brought at least P140,000 worth of medical supplies.

Members of the Young Moro Professionals Council in the SOCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) area extended their support by facilitating the distribution of medicines, organizing the beneficiaries and acting as their translators.

The medical outreach was the seventh of the 10 medical missions in different parts of Mindanao planned last year by the IMT-M3. Shuib said that they have already conducted missions in Pikit, Cotabato province; Mamasapano and Kitango in Maguindanao and the Lanao provinces.

They hope to conduct more medical missions in Davao del Norte either later this month or in February.

The Malaysian government appropriated support for the medical missions as part of the recommendation of the IMT-Mission 2 that left last August 2006 .

Jimen Sambaga, barangay chairman of Sapu Masla here, said he was grateful for the IMT’s help to his constituents. Last July, the IMT - Team Site 4 headed by Lt. Col. Abdul Razak bin Husain sponsored the renovation of two classrooms in Mama Nawa Elementary School in the same barangay.

The IMT is composed of contingents from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Libya and Japan, mostly military officers. They are tasked to monitor the ceasefire and ongoing peace process between the GRP and the MILF under the facilitation of the Malaysian government.