3 Boholano Frontliners test COVID-19 positive after completing training in Cebu City

Two Boholanos volunteered to undergo training on coronavirus disease testing.

The two Boholano medical technologists and a physician went to Cebu City to undergo the said training, hoping to help Bohol to establishing a COVID-19 testing center.

With the right goals in mind going to Cebu, they went home to Bohol with a sad news for the Boholanos. All three of them tested positive with COVID-19. The three frontliners, however, have completed their training before they were told about their infection, said Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH) chief Dr. Mutya Kismet Macuno.

“Nahuman diay g’yud intaw’n sila,” said Macuno. Macuno said that the need to train medical technologists is one of the requirements by the Department of Health (DOH) for a hospital to pass the third stage of certification in operating a molecular laboratory that can detect SARS CoV-2—the virus that causes the dreaded respiratory illness.

After GCGMH passed the inspection conducted by the DOH, the largest public hospital in the province, was elevated to the third stage of certification.

“Naa pa gihapon ta sa stage three, ang stage four ana kung mahipno na nato ang tanang equipment, mana og training atong mga medtech ug staff, so magpadala na ta og sample didto unya e-check sa RITM. Kung ma abot ni sa ilang standards then we will proceed with the performance of the lab,”

– GCGMH chief Dr. Mutya Kismet Macuno

GCGMH, according to Macuno, can conduct at least 500 tests per day once their molecular laboratory will start to operate.

Meanwhile, GCGMH is undergoing physical improvements in order to meet the biosafety standards set by the DOH.

These standards were set to ensure that there will be no contamination due to mishandling of samples being tested.