Provincial hospital eyed as COVID-19 testing facility

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Iloilo Provincial Hospital (IPH) in Pototan town will soon be added to the list of testing facilities for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to Governor Arthur Defensor Jr.

Currently, Western Visayas only has one Department of Health (DOH)-accredited COVID-19 testing facility, the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

The West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSUMC) in Jaro, Iloilo City is aiming to secure accreditation as the second testing laboratory in the region.

The provincial government has mandated mass testing for COVID-19 through Executive Order No. 102 issued on April 8, which extended the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the province from April 14 to April 30.

The ECQ was further extended to May 15 through EO 110, which still included mass testing as part of the provincial government’s policy to combat the spread of the virus.

Defensor earlier said that mass testing is far from reality over fears that the WVMC will become overwhelmed.

Because of this, the governor is prioritizing contact tracing of confirmed cases.

On Thursday, he said that the installation of a laboratory had already been planned in 2019 as part of the provincial government’s plans to upgrade the capabilities of the IPH.

He added that the COVID-19 outbreak has made the matter urgent for the provincial government.

“This was already part of our plans even before the COVID-19 came, but there was the outbreak which actually put the plans to a stop. We’re doing this now because the COVID-19 cases in the province might still rise. From the beginning, this was our plan, except that right now, we’re doing it with more urgency,” he said.

He said that this will be the third line of defense against the virus after the WVMC and the WVSUMC.

“This will be [the province’s] third line of defense. The first line of defense is the [WVMC], whose capacities we see are still in development. The second, there is the in-development [WVSUMC], that we are helping and we are willing to help. Because what is good, start from zero and develop your own, or look for a place you can help, which would be faster? It’s a matter for us, that the [IPH] will be the third,” he said.

He said that there are still no exact figures as to how much the lab will cost but the Hospital Management Office (HMO) is working to speed up the process.

“We don’t have the exact budget for this, but we’re going ahead and start planning because this had already been in our plans since we took office. Our HMO is currently working on it and is starting coordination with the DOH and the [Research Institute for Tropical Medicine],” he said.

DOH data indicated that as of May 7, Iloilo has 18 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with four active cases, ten recoveries, and four deaths.