Marikina prioritizes cancer patients for swab tests

MANILA, Philippines — To reduce their risk and ensure that they immediately receive the treatment they need, cancer patients in Marikina City who are undergoing dialysis will be given priority in the processing of their swab tests for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

According to Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, under an agreement with eight city-based dialysis facilities, cancer patients and immunocompromised residents may get their COVID-19 test results in just 24 hours from the city’s testing laboratory.

“Our immunocompromised residents must get their results quickly because they really need dialysis treatment,” Teodoro said, adding that as part of a health protocol, facilities serving cancer patients require them to undergo testing to make sure they are virus-free.

He said that the agreement would also minimize the risk of cancer patients getting infected with COVID-19 at overcrowded hospitals or testing centers.

Cancer patients need only to present a referral letter from their doctor to the Marikina City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit stating that they need to undergo a COVID-19 swab test for dialysis treatment, said Dr. Antonio Llabres, logistics head of the Marikina City Task Force COVID-19.

“No more lines unlike at other testing facilities. They will get tested immediately,” he added.

—Jodee A. Agoncillo