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More evidence is needed. Philippine Coast Guard medical technologists prepare to screen potential COVID-19 patients at a newly installed cleaning facility in the Maynila Palace tent along Roxas Boulevard in Manila on May 5, 2020. Photo by Ben Nabong / Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is considering approving another $ 125 million project (P6.3 billion) that will strengthen the Philippines’ ability to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
“We are currently discussing with the Health Department a $ 125 million project to scale up the health response against COVID,” ADB Country Representative Kelly Bird announced at a Department of Health (DOH) press conference on Monday. May 11, adding the bank wanted the project to be approved in June.
The project, focused on expanding the Philippines’ response to the coronavirus outbreak, will include the creation of two new “state-of-the-art” testing laboratories following biosecurity and biosecurity standards.
Bird added that the proposed project will also train laboratory technicians to use equipment to process tests and expand the supply of test kits, equipment and medical supplies distributed to other front-line hospitals.
In addition to this, project funds will also be used to renovate and build new isolation rooms in hospitals that treat coronavirus patients. Specific hospitals were not cited as the project is still under discussion.
If approved, the project will be the last form of assistance provided by ADB.
Before this, the ADB financed a sub-national reference laboratory at the José B Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in the city of San Fernando, Pampanga. Testing in the laboratory began on May 10 and the country’s daily testing capacity is expected to increase from 7,000 to 10,000 tests with 3,000 tests processed in the laboratory.
Bird said that beyond the coronavirus pandemic, the Jose B Lingad hospital laboratory will also be used as a research laboratory for other viruses and cancer. It was chosen because it is a university hospital and is considered a high-quality public hospital that has the capacity to rapidly expand tests, he added.
In addition to this, ADB also provided a $ 200 million (P10 billion) loan to support the Philippine government’s efforts to provide cash subsidies to the poor affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The regional bank also approved a $ 1.5 billion loan that would finance the Philippine government’s active response and spending support (CARES) program COVID-19. The funding was considered the “greatest ADB budget support” for the Philippines. – Rappler.com
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