Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (BIATF) executive director Kathyrin Pioquinto revealed that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratory at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH) returns to normal operation and now accepts swab samples coming from outside the hospital, after several weeks.
Pioquinto’s revelation was made during a radio interview over OPEN FORUM radio program on Thursday, July 28, 2021, hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Dave Albarado.
It was reported that the GCGMH PCR lab resumed the processing of swab samples as of Wednesday, July 28, 2021, but limited to samples coming from the said hospital’s in-patient admitted patients.
Pioquinto admitted that as of Wednesday, July 28, 2021, the GCGMH’s PCR laboratory can only process the swab samples coming from the hospital’s admitted patients.
However, Pioquinto bared in the same interview that the GCGMH PCR laboratory is now accepting swab samples even from patients located outside the hospital.
“As of today [Thursday], I texted early this morning si Dr. Anton Chatto, kay the Bohol containerized PCR laboratory has the same pathologist with Gallares, and I asked him [Dr Chatto] if Gallares is still processing PCR swabs of admitted patients and he said they [Gallares] are accepting swab [samples] from outside,” Pioquinto said.
The BIATF executive director also said that swab samples taken from patients in various hospitals, samples taken by personnel of Rural Health Units or the health offices in the different local government units (LGU) and samples obtained by contact tracers are now processed by the PCR lab at the GCGMH.
The GCGMH PCR lab can process between 600 to 700 swab samples a day, the BIATF executive director revealed. This means swab samples taken from persons in Bohol are no longer sent to Cebu for processing.
Pioquinto said that the GCGMH initially decided to process swab samples coming from the hospital’s patients due to the limited capacity of the PCR laboratory as of Wednesday.
Unfortunately, according to Pioquinto, the province-owned containerized PCR laboratory is currently non-operational after its bio safety cabinet got busted due to the fluctuating power supply that happened over the weekend.
She said the laboratory already requested for equipment engineers to fix the said apparatus.
Pioquinto added that the BIATF is waiting for the maintenance engineers to arrive and she expects to have the bio safety cabinet fixed by Aug. 3, 2021.