USAID honors private hospitals, labs for affordable TB testing
TOP performing hospitals and laboratories were feted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for having the highest number of clients tested for tuberculosis (TB) using the Genexpert machine recommended by the World Health Organization.
The honorees were De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute, Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center, and Hi-precision Diagnostics.
They form part of the Philippine Private Sector Diagnostics Consortium or “The Consortium” of 26 private health-care institutions and laboratories using a pooled procurement system.
With the help of the USAID, the Consortium was able to bring down the cost of diagnostic testing for TB, thus making it now available to more Filipinos, especially those who cannot afford it.
The alliance offers the use of the Genexpert machine at a discounted price of not more than P2,500, or 70 percent cheaper than other facilities.
“The Consortium has been instrumental in finding more TB cases among Filipinos who prefer to get services from private hospitals and laboratories,” said Michelle Lang-alli, director of USAID’S Office of Health.
Reaching out to more patients
THE Consortium is being managed by the Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis (PHILCAT) with the support of international nongovernment organizations Family Health International or FHI 360 and Interactive Research Development.
With members coming from Luzon and Visayas, this coalition has tested more than 14,000 clients for TB in the last two years, of which over 2,200 or 22 percent tested positive.
PHILCAT President Dr. Manuel Po enjoined other facilities to become members of The Consortium as other diagnostic testing for Covid-19 and HIV and AIDS will be introduced soon for pooled procurement.
He welcomed new members, such as Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital, Cebu Velez General Hospital, Delos Santos Medical Center, Detoxiare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory Inc., and Manila Central University—filemon D. Tanchoco Medical Foundation Inc.
new governing council members were also sworn into The Consortium.
Its campaign to mitigate the cost of diagnostic TB testing was shortlisted in the 2022 Marketing Excellence Awards under the nonpofit marketing campaign category.