DUMAGUETE CITY – The Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) here is now processing its application and filling out the necessary forms with the Department of Health (DOH) to be accredited as testing facility for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
In a statement Friday, Assistant Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Liland Estacion, who also heads the health committee of the province’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19, said they are fast-tracking compliance of requirements so that the NOPH can be certified as a Covid-19 testing center.
Once this happens, laboratory test results of suspect Covid-19 patients here will be released “real-time”, much faster than the current pace, Estacion said.
Currently, the turn-around time for throat swab test results is 48 hours from the time the samples are received at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City, the nearest Covid-19 testing facility in the region, she said.
Estacion said the throat swab samples have a shelf life of 72 hours, hence, these must be sent before and within that period to Cebu.
Given the limited sea travel between here and Cebu due to the enhanced community quarantine imposed in both provinces, they have to send the samples via “slow boat” that takes about six to eight hours of travel, or sometimes request a Coast Guard vessel to pick up the samples.
The NOPH, once it becomes a DOH-accredited facility, will be using the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRt-PCR) test kits, which are more accurate than the rapid testing kits, she said.
The Philippines had received its first PCR testing kits from the World Health Organization, and are being used at the VSMMC, she added.
Estacion said while the rapid testing kits are much cheaper, they are only 40 percent accurate compared to the laboratory-based PCR testing.
Three nurses will be trained to do the PCR testing here in preparation for the DOH-accreditation.
She added that a laboratory will be set up at the NOPH solely dedicated to Covid-19 testing and assured the public that proper protocols shall be adopted, particularly providing laboratory personnel with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE).
Meanwhile, Estacion said there is no word yet as to how the PCR kits will be procured, whether it will be provided by the DOH for free, or that the provincial government will have to purchase these.
All other concerns on the accreditation will be known in the coming days, she said. (PNA)
* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at
www.wirenine.comLinkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=100916.0
