Antique formally opened its P19-million molecular laboratory at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) in this province’s capital town of San Jose de Buenavista on June 10.
“The long wait for the molecular laboratory is now over,” said Governor Rhodora Cadiao who was joined by Department of Health (DOH-6) assistant regional director Helen Tobias in the blessing and inauguration.
In her message, she said the facility will be manned by six medical technicians and one pathologist who completed the tedious training before the laboratory was given a license to operate by the DOH.
Meanwhile, Tobias said in her message that with the operation of the molecular laboratory in Antique, the swab test results could be released faster or just within a day.
Before, patients had to wait for about three days because the specimens were sent to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Iloilo City for processing.
She also assured the DOH is ready to assist in the ASMGH molecular laboratory, which has only 2,000 reagents that could be used for swab tests.
Antique Integrated Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ric Noel Naciongayo, during the press conference, said that the two machines to be used for swab testing at the molecular laboratory could each accommodate 20 to 30 specimens.
He said they are now working out for the accreditation of the molecular laboratory with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) so that the testing could be provided for free to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients for it will be covered by the government insurance.
“We expect that there will be a bigger demand for the swab testing during the initial days of operation,” he said.PNA
