Bacolod mayor welcomes DOH free Covid test kits

MAYOR Evelio Leonardia thanked Regional Director Marlyn Convocar of the Department of Health (DOH) for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) diagnostic test kits they are allocating for Bacolod City.

Leonardia said, “We are relieved that finally these test kits are arriving. RD Convocar said that the 5,000 test kits allocated for Western Visayas will be sufficient for our immediate needs in the region.”

City Health Office head Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli explained that each test kit can accommodate between 10 to 20 specimens, thus the 5,000 test kits can accommodate between 50,000 to 100,000 specimens.

The purchase of diagnostic test kits is a priority action of the City of Bacolod in its fight against Covid-19, the mayor added.

The city government was ready to procure 3,000 diagnostic test kits amounting to about P5 million, but Convocar had advised Leonardia to wait until their new biolaboratory in Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao District, Iloilo City is completely set up to determine which kits will be compatible.

On Tuesday [March 24], the DOH- 6 informed the Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) that their new biolaboratory is now ready to operate, and that the regional office has enough test kits for 50,000 specimens for Western Visayas.

This also means that the kits allocated for Bacolod will be for free, the mayor stressed.

Leonardia said, “We will continue to monitor the needs and we are ready to purchase what may be needed by the situation.”

The intended P5-million budget for test kits is reserved for further advice from DOH, the mayor added./pr