Baguio hospital bats for nCoV testing accreditation from WHO

The Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center in the summer capital hopes to soon help the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in screening specimens from persons under investigation for the novel coronavirus. Photo by Richard Balonglong

BAGUIO CITY –– Officials of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) said they were hoping to get accredited as a World Health Organization reference laboratory for the novel coronavirus (nCoV) and help hasten the testing of the growing number of suspected infections in the country.

Dr. Crist Jamora, BGHMC pediatric infectious disease specialist, said they want to help the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in screening the increasing number of specimens from patients under investigation.

Jamora said BGHMC has a Polymerase chain reaction machine for the testing.

She explained that the machine detects the deoxyribonucleic acid or DNAs of viruses and is being used to detect viruses for Japanese encephalitis, flu, and H1N1, among others.

Jamora said BGHMC is already conducting tests for the H1N1 virus.

“But for the [nCoV], we still need to go through proficiency and parallel testing with the RITM,” Jamora told reporters here.

Jamora said the BGHMC has a building dedicated to infectious diseases and assigned the building’s first floor to cater to suspected nCoV cases.

The only suspected nCoV case in the Cordillera region is confined at the BGHMC’s infectious disease building, Jamora said, noting that the patient was in stable condition.

“We are still waiting for the test results. If it is negative [for nCoV] and there are no other complications, then the patient will be discharged,” she said.

Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, director of DOH Cordillera, said there were no confirmed nCoV cases in the region.

Edited by Lzb