The testing capacity of the Benguet General Hospital molecular laboratory will be doubled after one unit of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) machine was donated last week by Benguet legislative caretaker Rep. Eric Yap.
BeGH Chief of Hospital Meliarazon Dulay said the additional machine will double the current daily testing capacity of 93 per shift.
Dulay said they are also currently training additional medical technologists for a second work shift to maximize the operational capacity of the molecular laboratory.
She said if BeGH is be able to capacitate its medtechs, there will be a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 to 11 p.m. shifts in a day, which will increase their testing capacity up to 300 per day.
Earlier, the BeGH laboratory was closed for recalibration of the RT-PCR machine and isolation of some personnel after some got infected of the SARS-CoV2.
Samples from district hospitals and rural health units were brought to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center molecular laboratory.
Yap said the additional unit would help declog BGHMC’s laboratory and would immediately bring back test results to the residents.
“Baguio’s testing laboratory is already full due to the rising cases of Covid-19 so this additional RT-PCR machine will help the province in its testing so the residents won’t have to wait for a long time before they get their results,” Yap said.
Yap has committed to provide another automated extractor to go with the RT-PCR machine to boost its function.
The BeGH is also waiting for 30,000 testing kits earlier committed by the Department of Health. – Ofelia C. Empian
