CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno appealed for donations of testing equipment in a bid to increase the health system capacity of the city and the region to fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Moreno welcomed the help from the private sector, particularly the Gama Foods Corp., which will donate a real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test machine to the Department of Health (DOH) - Northern Mindanao.
The DOH Northern Mindanao has already borrowed two of the city’s RT-PCR machines to augment their Xpress machine.
Moreno said he plans to buy one more RT-PCR machine for Northern Mindanao Medical Center. The mayor said a machine costs about P2.4 to P2.7 million.
“Kung naay gusto motabang (If there are willing to help), we want to increase the capacity of our health systems...NMMC can accommodate three more RT-PCR (machines),” he said.
“Why are we investing much money for RT-PCR? Kay kini ang virus dili nato makita, dili ma-feel, wala ta kasabot ani nga virus pero naa tay pamaagi para makuha iyang style, characteristics, behavior, pinaagi sa proper use of information from science (Because we cannot see this virus, it’s not tangible, we still don’t fully understand about this but we have a way to determine its characteristics and behavior by proper use of information from science),” Moreno added.
He said boosting the testing capacity is important as the city opens up the economy.
Moreno said the installation of machines by either the city or the private sector can serve not only Covid-19 cases in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon provinces but also the provinces of Agusan, Lanao, Surigao or “virtually the upper half of Mindanao”.
Aside from the DOH and NMMC, private hospitals Polymedic Medical Plaza and Maria Reyna-Xavier University Hospital are also installing their own machines.
Beginning June 2020, testing centers in Cagayan de Oro can process 400-500 rests daily.