DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Davao City government is eyeing to build three additional Covid-19 testing laboratories to speed up the testing of cases in Mindanao.
In an interview Thursday, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said they are currently helping the Davao Doctors Hospital by facilitating their accreditation to the Department of Health (DOH) as a testing laboratory.
Duterte-Carpio said this is needed to support the lone testing center for Mindanao, the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
“We have been working to multiply the number of our testing lab in Davao City because the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) can only cater 60-80 laboratories per day,” the mayor said.
Aside from Davao Doctors Hospital, a private-laboratory has also applied for accreditation, Duterte added.
The mayor said that the city has received the grant from Bayanihan Act to build the facilities and that the city will submit a request for the budget ordinance which includes the fund for laboratory testing facility.
She earlier said that even with the money for the additional facility, the SPMC has limited personnel.
Duterte said they will be using the testing center model from the local government of Marikina City.
“We have already reached out to Makina and they are helping us, guiding us on how to set up our local government Covid-19 testing and laboratory,” she added. (davaotoday.com)
