COTABATO CITY (PIA) – A brand-new sterilizer is set to enhance the safety of patients at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center here.

This developed after the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) handed over the device to help this city’s public hospital provide better services.

The state-of-the-art equipment from Germany uses heat to sterilize dressings, essential materials, and instruments for surgery.

“The hospital will now be able to perform surgery without any delay due to old equipment,” explained ICRC health delegate Elizabeth Avril Patterson.

“The ICRC donated the sterilizer in response to a request from hospital management, who were keen to ensure that their facility was properly equipped,” she added.

The Cotabato Regional Medical Center is the only government tertiary hospital in Central Mindanao and provides a vital service to the population in this violence-affected region.