Cebu province to ‘explore’ legal means to buy rapid test kits

Coronavirus disease 2019 patients’ samples are ready for testing. | Inquirer file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu province’s plan to conduct a targeted massive testing using rapid test kits has hit a snag.

This obstacle is a circular from the Department of Health (DOH) which prohibits the use of government funds for the procurement of the rapid test kits.

The DOH Department Circular no. 2020-0160, dated March 31, 2020 says: “Since the health technology assessment council does not recommend the use of such technology, particularly for mass testing, no public funds shall be used to pay for any COVID-19 rapid antibody-based test kit.”

The DOH maintains that the gold standard in detecting COVID-19 is through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Read more: Government allots P3.2-B for COVID-19 rapid test kits

Earlier, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the province was already negotiating for the purchase of about 50,000 test kits from a supplier who offered the antibody-based kits for P600 each.

The offer was lower than the first pegged price of P900.

While local chief executives were not included in the addressees in the circular, Garcia said she would ask Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to clarify if the prohibition on the use of funds for buying rapid test kits would also cover the LGUs.

“Well, the government does not have enough testing kits (PCR) and we cannot be going around blindly without knowing what is really the status, at least in terms of antibodies man lang gani, of our constituents,” Garcia said.

Read more: Cebu Capitol eyes start of COVID-19 targeted massive testing next week

The targeted massive testing is supposedly part of the provincial government’s initial step towards crafting protocols for a modified enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

“We are really, really focused and determine to conduct targeted mass testing in the province of Cebu even if, thank God, salamat sa Birhen sa Guadalupe ug Santo Niño, ang atong number of positive cases stays at 3,” Garcia said.

Garcia said she was intending to “explore all avenues that we can legally procure” the rapid test kits.

Since April 1, the province has maintained the number of COVID-19 infections in its jurisdiction at three, with two recoveries and one death.

This Thursday, April 23, is already the 22nd straight day that there is no new COVID-19 case recorded in the province.

The cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu are having separate tallies of their COVID-19 cases since they are under the highly urbanized cities (HUCs) category.

Last March 30, the province has been under ECQ and has closed its borders against non-essential travels and personnel from Cebu City which the Governor Garcia has earlier tagged as the “epicenter” of the viral infection in Cebu.

As of April 23, Cebu City already logged a total of 328 cases of COVID-19, Mandaue City has 9 cases and Lapu-Lapu City has 20./dbs