By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Riverside Medical Center Inc. (RMCI) here inaugurated its Molecular Biology Laboratory last Monday in support of the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Dr. Ma. Antonia Gensoli, RMCI medical director, and Dr. David Pedroza, laboratory head led the inauguration rites in the presence of Dr. Elizabeth Altamira of the Department of Health (DOH)-6, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, and City Administrator Em Ang, among others.
RMCI President Genesis Goldi Golingan said in a virtual message that the molecular laboratory can be considered one of the important facilities in the ongoing fight against the unseen enemy.
“We are opening our doors and adding a facility in our fight against COVID-19,” he added.
Golingan said Negrenses can now have their reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing conveniently at the facility.
Golingan said the laboratory is another milestone in the continued expansion of the hospital.
“As we get near the end of 2020, people look forward to a solution that will end the pandemic,” he said. The facility will be used until the situation will stabilize, he added.
For her part, Gensoli said it was exactly 12 weeks ago when they had the groundbreaking of the facility.
Meanwhile, Ang said the facility is the sixth COVID laboratory in the city and in the province.
Ang said the increasing number of molecular laboratories is important as we transition to a new normal.
“These laboratories are our lifeline to increase our testing capacity, cognizant of the fact that testing remains to be the cornerstone of our efforts to defeat COVID-19,” she added.
