Philippines now has 17 COVID-19 testing centers
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) - The Chinese General Hospital is the latest hospital to be certified as testing facility for coronavirus disease, said the Department of Health (DOH).
DOH Spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire noted in a virtual briefing that the country now has 17 testing centers for the highly-infectious virus which infected more than 5,000 Filipinos.
Vergeire added that 47 laboratories are undergoing certification process to become testing facilities.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 response chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. said in a virtual address that 57 hospitals are being assessed by DOH and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. Of this number, 17 are already in the fifth stage of accreditation process to become testing centers.
The government is targeting to conduct 8,000 tests per day as more hospitals or laboratories will be accredited soon.
In Metro Manila, the accredited testing centers are the UP National Institutes of Health and San Lazaro Hospital in Manila; Philippine Red Cross and Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in Mandaluyong; Lung Center of the Philippines, St. Luke’s Medical Center and Victoriano Luna Hospital in Quezon City; The Medical City in Pasig; Makati Medical Center; St. Luke’s Medical Center-BGC in Taguig and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Inc. in Muntinlupa.
On the other hand, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center; Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu; Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao; Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo; and the Bicol Regional Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory in Legazpi City are the certified testing facilities outside the capital region.
