LA TRINIDAD -- The province of Benguet is set to enhance its coronavirus disease (Covid-19) testing capacity as the construction of its molecular laboratory at Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) is now in full swing.
Dr. Meliarazon Dulay, BeGH chief of hospital, said medical technologists are also undergoing training at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) in preparation for the opening of the laboratory.
Personnel had undergone online modular training and when they hurdle the proficiency examination, another training will be held before they will be subjected to onsite work at BGHMC.
Dulay said there are two certified medical technologists while three are on training at BGHMC, one of the largest hospitals in Northern Luzon and an accredited sub-national laboratory for Covid-19.
The hospital chief said construction work is now ongoing for the building.
Dulay said that before the start of construction, personnel from the Department of Health central office together with the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine visited the area and provided input and revision of the plan before the building for the molecular lab was approved.
After the competition of the building, it will still undergo accreditation by the health department.
"We cannot operate without the accreditation, approval of DOH," said Dulay, adding they remain hopeful for its accreditation next month.
Once the lab is completed, the province will retrieve the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain React Test (RT-PCR) and RNA extractor loaned to BGHMC.
Benguet caretaker and ACT-CIS partylist Representative Eric Go Yap earlier donated to BeGH over P5 million worth of anti Covid-19 equipment, including the RT-PCR machine, automated extraction machines and consumables to be used for the establishment of the laboratory.
The RT-PCR and automated machines with consumables were temporarily loaned to BGHMC following the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the urgent need to speed up the release of swab test results from different parts of Northern Luzon, which resulted in the significant reduction in the period to release Covid-19 results.
The molecular laboratory for Benguet is likewise funded by Yap.
