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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DENR donates land to RITM for expansion on medical research

DENR donates land to RITM for expansion on medical research

Published Apr 21, 2022 01:14 pm

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has donated more than 9,000 square meter land to the Department of Health (DOH) to help improve the agency's operational capability for medical research and development.

DENR Sec. Jim O. Sampulna said the parcel of land is located in Alabang in Muntinlupa City and is actually located beside the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) which is the main beneficiary of the donation.

The RITM is the main research arm of the DOH and over the years, it has been complaining of lack of space to accommodate more facilities for its growing research assignments.

Currently, the RITM houses 18 National Reference Laboratories in infectious diseases, which allow health care workers and professionals to perform confirmatory tests, and implement quality assurance

Sampulna said the ceremonial signing of the deed of conveyance was under President Duterte’s Proclamation No. 1276 dated Jan. 6, 2022, which states that a parcel of patrimonial land within the Alabang Stock Farm, Muntinlupa City, will be for RITM building site purposes.

RITM Director Celia C. Carlos, MD expressed her gratitude to the DENR for facilitating the preparation of the deed of conveyance, and for allocating the land in their favor, noting that one of the facility’s problems was the lack of space.

RITM has been responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases for the last 20 years, including the first severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) outbreak in 2003.

It was also at the forefront controlling the AH1N1 pandemic in 2009, measles outbreak in 2013, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak in 2014 to 2015, polio outbreak in 2018, and SARS-CoV outbreak in 2019.

Carlos said the additional parcel of land would help expand the facility’s healthcare services and technologies.

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