Davao de Oro molecular laboratory opens
DAVAO de Oro province officially opened its biomolecular laboratory Friday, a project funded through the coronavirus budget under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act or Republic Act No. 11469. Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy, in a social media post after the inauguration ceremony, said the laboratory was recommended by the province’s medical team as a long-term investment for improving public healthcare services. “Wayback last year, when the national government gave us our share of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Grant to the Provinces, we consulted our medical team what good project we can use the money for that will not just be for temporary use. Our doctors suggested the building of our own molecular laboratory,” he said in a mix of English and Visayan. The laboratory is immediately crucial in terms of speeding up the release of test results for coronavirus for residents and lessening the load of neighboring laboratories within the Davao Region. The facility, located within the Davao de Oro Provincial HospitalMontevista, also upgrades the medical institution’s capacity for research. “God forbid, COVID-19 might not be the last pandemic in our lifetime, what’s important is we are prepared now. And also, this laboratory will also be useful for research extension,” Mr. Uy said. The laboratory was planned and built in partnership with the Department of Health, Department of Science and Technology, and the University of the Philippines-Mindanao. Davao de Oro, formerly named Compostela Valley, is commemorating its 23rd founding anniversary on March 8. The celebration on Monday will include the rollout of the first batch of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines allocated to the province. —