SIBU, June 23: The commissioning of a new monitoring lab will boost Sibu Hospital’s capacity to carry out Covid-19 swab tests.
The new lab will also speed up the testing process, with same day results instead of requiring 4-5 days previously.
The opening of the lab was made possible thanks to Ta Ann Group of Companies (Ta Ann) which donated items worth RM300,000, including a bio-safety cabinet, centrifuge, automation extraction machines, laboratory software, and a special freezer. The corporate entity also paid for part of the lab’s renovation.
The lab is a collaboration between the Health Ministry and Ta Ann, with the ministry contributing half the cost of the project.
Sibu Hospital acting director Dr Mohamad Ng revealed its existing clinical research centre (CRC) lab could perform between 300 to 400 swab tests on suspected Covid-19 patients.
“In March, the high number of swab tests resulted in a backlog of cases. So with this new monitoring lab, we will not have a backlog of cases anymore as with the two facilities, we can do up to 1,000 swab tests a day,” he told reporters at the handing over ceremony here today .
The two facilities are meant to cater for samples from the central region, including Sibu, Mukah, Sarikei, Kanowit and Betong. They will be utilised for other purposes once the Covid-19 pandemic is over
During the ceremony, Ta Ann’s group administrative manager (insurance and public relations) Wong Teck Sung symbolically handed over the facilities to Dr Mohamad. — DayakDaily
