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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PRC molecular lab gets 5-star rating from RITM

PRC molecular lab gets 5-star rating from RITM

Published Dec 15, 2021 07:17 am

Philippine Red Cross Chairman (PRC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator "Dick" Gordon announced on Tuesday, Dec. 14, that the PRC Logistics Multipurpose Center (PLMC) molecular laboratory received a five-star rating from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

Photo from the Philippine Red Cross

PRC said in a statement that the molecular lab underwent a multistage process for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lab assessment and received the five-star rating on Dec. 13.

As the national reference laboratory for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, RITM regularly conducts proficiency testing to ensure and maintain the high-quality performance of independent laboratories, PRC stated.

PRC mentioned that at the start of the pandemic, when the RITM was able to conduct only 300 tests a day, it was the vision of Gordon to establish molecular laboratories nationwide to ramp up the country’s national testing output.

The PLMC molecular laboratory started operating on April 25 last year and is capable of testing 4,000 tests daily. Since then, 13 more molecular laboratories have been established throughout the archipelago with a total testing capacity of 60,000 a day. PRC said that it is the foremost in testing with more than 5 million tests, while the next organization has done only over a million.

“We have surpassed the 5 million mark in COVID-19 testing at hindi tayo titigil. We test to save lives! Napaka-importante ng pagtetest dahil dito natin malalaman kung sino ang mayroon COVID-19. Through testing agad, mahihiwalay natin ang positive individuals upang hindi na makapanghawa pa ng iba," Gordon said

To date, PRC has conducted over 5,056,996 tests nationwide of which 899,119 are from the PLMC molecular laboratory.

Gordon also encouraged the public to get tested regularly to ensure the safety of the people around them this holiday season.

Related Tags

Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Philippine Red Cross RITM molecular laboratory COVID-19 LABORATORIES Senator Richard Gordon PRC research institute for tropical medicine (RITM) senator dick gordon COVID-19 test Senator Richard J. Gordon RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR TROPICAL MEDICINE COVID-19 TESTING prc chairman dick gordon
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