TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The first local government-funded and operated molecular laboratory is now operational in the city following the issuance by the health department of its License to Operate (LTO) to further fast track the release of swab test results.
Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero stated that the several months of painstakingly completing the requirements of the 5th molecular laboratory in the Cordillera paid off with the eventual release of the LTO from the health department that allowed the facility to start processing swab tests not only from the city but also from the different parts of the province and other neighboring local governments.
“We have full trust and confidence to our health workers who will be assigned in the molecular laboratory for the efficient and effective operation of the city’s new facility that will help in improving the turnaround time in the release of swab test results. We cannot afford to make our people wait for a long period of time for their swab test results to be released because of its effect to them,” Mayor Estrañero stressed.
The LTO of the Tabuk molecular laboratory was released on June 15, 2021 and will end on December 31, 2021 subject to renewal by the local government.
Earlier, the local government earmarked some P15 million to fund the put up and provision of the appropriate equipment of the local government unit-owned and operated molecular laboratory to help in significantly reducing the turnaround time in the release of swab test results following the numerous complaints from suspected and probable COVID-19 patients on the serious delays in the release of their respective swab test results.
According to him, personnel who will be manning the operation of the city’s molecular laboratory were able to pass the rigid proficiency that was administered by the Manila-based Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) aside from the fact that the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine was able to pass the quality test undertaken for the said purpose.
He explained that the local government thought of investing in the put up of the molecular laboratory because the conduct of tests and the release of results should be available in the city to prevent the swab samples from being transported from the province to Baguio City, Tuguegarao City or Ilagan City just for the same to be subjected to RT-PCR test by the existing machines.
The mayor emphasized that during these difficult times, the goal of the local government is to ensure the availability of basic services in their respective areas of jurisdiction to help in preventing the people from moving in and out of their localities for them to be able to comply with the existing restrictions on the movement of people to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Estrañero stipulated that the molecular laboratory can conduct some 600 to 700 tests per day which will be a significant contribution in reducing the number of swab samples being transported out of the city and the province for the regular tests that will be undertaken and to ensure that the release of the test results will be timely for the guidance of health workers and the suspected and probable COVID patients. By HENT
