By Donna Rempillo
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Jose B. Lingad Regional Memorial Hospital (JBLRMH) here will soon be able to do coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mass testing in Pampanga and six other provinces in Central Luzon.
(Photo via Donna Rempillo / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was disclosed by Governor Dennis Pineda, who said that the machine capable of testing using polymerase chain reaction (PRC) was recently donated by businessman Wilfredo Keng, chairpersons of Century Peak Group of Companies, to the provincial government on Friday, April 17.
“This machine will indefinitely be lent to JBLRMH to start immediately the mass testing in Pampanga and other provinces of the region. We had the machine, the personnel came from JBLMRH that’s helping one another,” Pineda stated.
Aside from the machine, Keng also donated 10,000 disposable face masks, 1,000 pieces of sterile gloves, 500 personal protective suits, 100, protective goggles and 50 thermal scanners.
Provincial Board Member Ferdinand Labung tapped his own firm in constructing the laboratory and infrastructure which will house the equipment.
Pineda thanked Keng, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairperson Andrea Domingo for facilitating the donations in the province.
On Saturday, April 18, JBLMRH and Department of Health (DOH) officials and Pineda will sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the training of the staff that would be manning the testing facility by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
The new JBLMRH diagnostic molecular pathology laboratory was established using a a grant from the Asian Development Bank, Medical Director Dr Monserrat Chichioco disclosed.