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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Gordon stresses need to have weekly COVID-19 test for all medical frontliners

Gordon stresses need to have weekly COVID-19 test for all medical frontliners

Published Apr 26, 2020 12:00 am
By Hannah Torregoza Senator Richard Gordon said on Sunday he hopes that all health workers in hospitals and medical centers would be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) weekly. Senator Richard Gordon (ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Senator Richard Gordon
(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Gordon, chair of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said this would help ensure that medical frontliners and their families, are safe from the disease since they can be potential carriers of COVID-19. “Ang gusto ko mangyari, lahat ng ating health workers na nasa ospital dapat naka rehistro once every week, nagte-test sila dahil sila rin ang magkakalat pag nagkaroon sila (What I hope for is that all our health workers in hospitals should be registered and once every week, get themselves tested for COVID-19, because they could spread the disease if they have it),” Gordon said in a television interview. The senator said he hoped to hear from Health Secretary Francisco Duque III that the Department of Health (DOH) will prioritize the testing of all medical personnel and health workers. “Ayoko magkasakit angating mga doktor, precious sila (I don’t want our doctors to get sick, they are precious),” Gordon stressed. Likewise, Gordon announced that the PRC is set to open a COVID-19 laboratory in Manila in addition to the two facilities that are already taking in suspected COVID-19 patients for testing. The laboratory is located in Port Area, Manila. Gordon said they are just waiting for the approval of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to start conducting COVID-19 tests. According to the senator, the test kits being used in PRC laboratories are from China. The cost of the COVID-19 test is P3,500 which patients may reimburse with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). He said those interested to have themselves tested for COVID-19 can go to any PRC laboratories as walk-in patients, but should call their hotline 1158 first. “We accept walk-in individuals but you need to call 1158 just to make sure you won’t be barred at the checkpoints,” Gordon said. He added that patients who will call the PRC hotline will receive a text message confirming their schedule at the laboratory, which they must show to any IATF personnel or any person manning the checkpoints.
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