TWO LOPEZ-LED units have pledged to donate P46 million worth of equipment and machines to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), boosting its capacity to test for the virus causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
First Gen Corp. has provided the University of the Philippines (UP) some laboratory machines that the state hospital can use to conduct RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) tests for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). The said test collects a genetic material from the virus and confirms it through a PCR.
Meanwhile, media network ABS-CBN Corp. is completing its turnover of “BD Max” units, a fully integrated automated molecular diagnostics platform, to PGH to shorten the virus testing period to two hours from four hours.
“Together with assistance from other government agencies and donors, these machines from the Lopez Group will bring us closer to the target of performing 30,000 COVID-19 RT-PCR tests daily,” PGH Director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi was quoted in a statement as saying.
PGH, which is under the UP system, is both a COVID-19 referral center and laboratory of government and private hospitals.
It was found that the state hospital was “in dire need” of testing machines to bolster its testing capacity.
The Lopez Group’s donations can help PGH serve coronavirus disease patients, not just in Metro Manila, but also from adjacent provinces, Dr. Legaspi said. — Adam J. Ang
