(Photo courtesy of Southern Philippines Medical Center Facebook page)
The facility, which is capable of real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, was donated by the Metrobank Foundation (MBFI) and George Ty Foundation and constructed by the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU).
The facility is also capable of running 200 samples a day with a result turn-around time of three operating days.
“With this lab, we hope to quadruple the current testing capacity of the SPMC, especially as the burden caused by COVID-19 has been felt most acutely by those in the margins of society,” said City Mayor Sara Duterte in a statement read by Assistant City Health Officer Dr. Marjorie Culas.