Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 17) – The team leader of the private sector-led COVID-19 testing organization appealed to the government to be more urgent in solving the pandemic in the country.
Project ARK team leader Dr. Minguita Padilla emphasized government officials should not use the health sector for their political interests, hence it should be focused on responding to the problems brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The bureaucratic mindset has to change because we are in a crisis situation. We need a greater sense of urgency,” Padilla told CNN Philippines’ Rico Hizon on Friday.
Padilla gave as example the government’s slow action in approving the implementing rules for their planned pool testing of different societal sectors in two Metro Manila hospitals.
She stressed that pool reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing can help minimize the government’s COVID-19 testing costs as up to 10 people can undergo in one swab test.
READ: DOH studies use of ‘pool testing’ seen to increase the country’s testing capacity
“If it comes out negative, you presume all those people are negative. If it comes out positive, you can divide them in two batches. If there are still positive again, that’s the time you will only test each one of them,” Padilla explained the process of their planned pool RT-PCR testing, which she hopes can proceed by next week.
The Project ARK founder also called the government to provide free COVID-19 testing for all Filipinos, especially for frontliners who cannot afford the high testing costs.
“What keeps the people for being tested is they have to pay for it and expensive. If it’s free, they will go. They are not afraid, they will go because it is for their own good and for their family,” said Padilla.
Padilla suggested testing individuals via RT-PCR every three months and via rapid antibody testing every two weeks, to further reduce the COVID-19 infections in the country.
“Stop the profiteering. Stop the pogi points. Stop the turf wars about health. They could all be just for public welfare,” Padilla appealed to government officials.
To date, the country now has 63,001 confirmed COVID-19 cases along with 39,593 active infections. While some 1,660 individuals died and 21,748 persons recovered from the virus.
