MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) yesterday said that the Department of Health (DOH)’s panel of experts has yet to approve saliva testing for public use, a week after the new mode of COVID-19 testing was approved for private use.
PRC chairman Sen. Richard Gordon said he was getting annoyed with the pace that the DOH was moving in terms of allowing COVID-19 saliva testing for widespread use in the country. He said the DOH’s Health Technology Assessment Council has yet to give the green light for saliva testing for public use.
“Secretary Duque told us that we can do saliva tests but for private use only. The ordinary citizen gets final priority once more because the ones paying for ordinary citizens – the OFWs – are our so-called valiant and diligent PhilHealth,” Gordon said in an interview aired over TeleRadyo, where he said the state insurer has yet to include saliva tests in its benefit package.
“I’m getting annoyed because it’s not right that they’re being slow, that’s why I call a spade a spade,” he added.
The organization began saliva testing in its Metro Manila laboratories last week. It was eyeing saliva test rollouts in its 10 provincial molecular laboratories for nationwide use this February.
Gordon said the approval of saliva tests for public use would improve COVID-19 testing in the country, the majority of which has been conducted so far by the Red Cross. The PRC is currently training more than 800 volunteers from its 96 chapters nationwide for saliva sample collection.
He added that the organization was also eyeing agreements with mall owners, schools and private companies for the conduct of saliva tests.
“We want to help our citizens. Please do not misunderstand, we want to be able to save our people as fast as we can and we need the cooperation of everybody, especially the government,” Gordon said.