Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 1) — France selected the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City to be one of the seven laboratories in Southeast Asia (SEA) that will receive 2 million euros in grants in support of its efforts to beat COVID-19, the French Embassy in Manila has announced.
RITM is the country’s primary coronavirus testing facility.
Other recipients of the grants are COVID-19 reference laboratories in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
In a statement, the French Embassy in Manila said the beneficiaries can use the aid to augment their medical equipment, acquire more sets of personal protective equipment, purchase diagnostic kits, support human resources, train medical staff and implement mass testing and strengthen surveillance system.
It added the French government is partnering with these SEA countries for its Ecomore II project, which seeks to “broaden understanding of the specific changes causing the emergence of infectious diseases.”
“Due to significant disparities in health systems both in the national and regional levels, Southeast Asia faces higher risks in the COVID-19 pandemic,” the embassy noted.
“Faced [with] this challenge, it is essential to strengthen the health infrastructures of the countries in this region,” it added.
There are currently 18 laboratories nationwide that were accredited by the Department of Health to conduct COVID-19 testing.
The country, as of Friday, has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in the SEA region, according to the Johns Hopkins University. As of April 30, the DOH said there are 8,488 confirmed cases in the country, with 1,043 recoveries and 568 fatalities.
