OVP explores COVID-19 mobile testing lab with private partner
Published Jun 10, 2020 12:00 am
By Raymund Antonio
Vice President Leni Robredo’s office is working with a pharmaceutical company to deploy a mobile testing facility to ramp up mass testing for the novel coronavirus.
Vice-President Leni Robredo (Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN)
Robredo, a leader of the opposition, disclosed her office is exploring with Filipino-owned United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab) for the planned mobile testing laboratory.
“Right now, we are exploring, coming up with a mobile testing lab na pwedeng lumilipat saan kailangan (that can go to areas where it is needed),” she said.
The mobile testing unit is equipped with laboratory technologies to process COVID-19 tests on-site, which can expand mass testing initiatives in the country.
Robredo said they want to be more involved in testing as part of the ongoing efforts to combat coronavirus infections.
“Iyong testing sana maging organized din. Sana mabigyan ng malaking importance ‘yung testing kasi (I hope the testing will also be organized. I hope it will be given much importance because) it gives people security. Iyong (The) policy should be based on that,” she said.
Since March, the vice president has repeated her calls for mass testing to identify the infected individuals and control the transmission of the disease more effectively.
Her office had previously donated P5.3 million worth of COVID-19 extraction kits to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and P14 million worth of locally made test kits to three Metro Manila laboratories and another in Bicol.
The government has been ramping up its COVID-19 testing capacity by accrediting more laboratories that are capable of detecting the deadly disease.
The Philippines has now a total of 41 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) laboratories and 14 GeneXpert machines, which are key to increase the country’s testing capacity.
Robredo earlier said private firms and educational institutions like the University of the Philippines should be tapped by the Health department for faster accreditation of testing laboratories.
Vice-President Leni Robredo (Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN)
Robredo, a leader of the opposition, disclosed her office is exploring with Filipino-owned United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab) for the planned mobile testing laboratory.
“Right now, we are exploring, coming up with a mobile testing lab na pwedeng lumilipat saan kailangan (that can go to areas where it is needed),” she said.
The mobile testing unit is equipped with laboratory technologies to process COVID-19 tests on-site, which can expand mass testing initiatives in the country.
Robredo said they want to be more involved in testing as part of the ongoing efforts to combat coronavirus infections.
“Iyong testing sana maging organized din. Sana mabigyan ng malaking importance ‘yung testing kasi (I hope the testing will also be organized. I hope it will be given much importance because) it gives people security. Iyong (The) policy should be based on that,” she said.
Since March, the vice president has repeated her calls for mass testing to identify the infected individuals and control the transmission of the disease more effectively.
Her office had previously donated P5.3 million worth of COVID-19 extraction kits to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and P14 million worth of locally made test kits to three Metro Manila laboratories and another in Bicol.
The government has been ramping up its COVID-19 testing capacity by accrediting more laboratories that are capable of detecting the deadly disease.
The Philippines has now a total of 41 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) laboratories and 14 GeneXpert machines, which are key to increase the country’s testing capacity.
Robredo earlier said private firms and educational institutions like the University of the Philippines should be tapped by the Health department for faster accreditation of testing laboratories.