COTABATO CITY—Bangsamoro Government’s Ministry of Health (MOH-BARMM) and the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) turned over an Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction Machine to Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC) on Friday, Sept. 25.
“A machine is introduced and turned over to this institution to strengthen its testing capacity,” MOH-BARMM officer in charge Dr. Amirel Usman said.
The extraction machine will enable the CRMC to process 400 to 500 swab tests a day. Currently, CRMC processes 84 samples daily.
“We are grateful for this support of the UNFPA and MOH-BARMM because this will significantly increase our testing capacity,” CRMC chief of hospital Dr. Helen Yambao said.
CRMC is one of the region’s Covid-19 referral hospitals, and is one of Department of Health’s (DOH) subnational laboratories.
“Early detection of cases translates to timely management of the disease and timely isolation of cases to prevent further spread of virus,” Dr. Yambao added.
As of Thursday, Sept. 24, BARMM recorded 27 new cases, reaching 1,000 total cases. 733 of which have recovered, while 229 remain active cases.
“We are optimistic that this partnership with the Bangsamoro Government and the CRMC could bring pragmatic results, especially to the health of women and young people,” said UNFPA assistant representative Rena Dona.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim said the Bangsamoro Government deeply appreciates the partnership with UNFPA and CRMC. (Bureau of Public Information)
1 Comment