KALIBO, Aklan – The provincial government is set to establish its own testing laboratory for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) located at the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital (DRSTMH) in this capital town.
Gov. Florencio Miraflores said the facility – currently under ongoing construction – is considered by the provincial government as one of the priorities in the continuing fight against the virus.
“Our desire to have our own COVID-19 testing laboratory here in Aklan now comes to reality, said Miraflores on his Facebook page post on May 21.
The governor added that with Aklan having its own testing facility, the detection of the virus will be hastened.
If patients turned out positive for the virus, they could be given immediate intervention.
On May 15, this province acquired a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine which will be installed in the laboratory, along with the other equipment needed for COVID-19 testing.
The provincial government is also currently fast-tracking the accreditation process of the DRSTMH as a testing facility for the virus.
Provincial Health Officer I Dr. Cornelio Cuachon Jr., meanwhile, said that healthcare personnel such as medical technologists, encoders and administrative staff who will be assigned to manage the COVID-19 testing laboratory are currently on training to ensure that they are qualified to conduct biosafety and RT-PCR procedures.(With a report from PIA/PN)
