MANILA, Philippines— Personnel of Marikina City’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing center just needs to pass a proficiency test before its accreditation gets a nod, the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said Friday.
IATF spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the task force discussed what else is needed to complete the accreditation of Marikina’s COVID-19 laboratory.
“Ngayon yung Marikina, malapit na silang maano. Binilang namin, ilan pa ba ang kailangang requirements nila and how many days does it take or these requirements to be complied with and fulfilled?” Nograles said in an online press conference.
(With Marikina, they are close to [accreditation]. We counted how many requirements they still needed and how many days does it take to comply with these and be fulfilled?)
“Pagbilang namin, abot naman ng Monday, granting and under the condition na yung personnel ng Marikina laboratory papasa doon sa proficiency test,” he added.
(We can make it by Monday, granting and under the condition that the Marikina laboratory’s personnel pass a proficiency test.)
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said Marikina’s laboratory may be accredited on Wednesday next week, April 22.
Marikina’s first laboratory was earlier disapproved due to its location on the sixth floor of the city’s health office. The local government then identified a two-story building at Barangay Concepcion Uno as its new site.
“We just want to dispel the notion na you know, pinapahirapan o masyadong ano yung mga requirements, tedious yung mga requirements. Everyone passes through that,” Nograles said.
(We just want to dispel the notion that it is being made hard for them or the requirements are too tedious. Everyone passes through that.)
There are a total of 16 testing centers capable of testing for the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus or SARS-CoV 2.