First Gen, ABS-CBN donate P46M equipment to PGH for COVID-19 testing

Lopez-led companies, First Gen Corp. and ABS-CBN Corp., have donated P46 million worth of equipment to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to significantly increase its capacity for COVID-19 testing.

First Gen Corp. provided laboratory machines to the University of the Philippines (UP) for conducting RT-PCR tests, which detect the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

ABS-CBN Corp. is donating 'BD Max' units, an automated molecular diagnostics platform, which is expected to reduce the virus testing time from four hours to two hours.

PGH Director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi stated that these donations, along with support from other agencies and donors, will help PGH achieve its target of performing 30,000 COVID-19 RT-PCR tests daily.

The PGH, a COVID-19 referral center and laboratory for various hospitals, was identified as being in urgent need of testing machines to enhance its testing capabilities.