THE MANILA Health Department has offered a preview of its new public health laboratory expected to be operational by the year’s end, following criticisms drawn by the “substandard facilities” of its temporary testing site.
In a Facebook post on Aug. 16, the health department published photos of the four-story building still undergoing construction on Quiricada Street, near the San Lazaro Hospital.
Initially projected to open in July, the new Manila Public Health Laboratory still has scaffolding installed on the building’s exterior as workers apply finishes to its facade.
The laboratory’s interior already has lighting fixtures, teller windows, air-conditioning units, and urinals installed, based on the Manila Health Department’s photos.
Manny Taguba, chief of Manila’s sanitation division, said the laboratory was expected to transfer to the new four-story building before the end of the year.
The new public laboratory, is close to the temporary testing site at the former location of the Sta. Cruz Public Library on Alvarez Street.
UST labor unions have slammed the temporary site — which charges P625 for each health permit — for subpar facilities, especially toilets and urinals, pointing to the poor conditions as one of the reasons for the low compliance with the ordinance.
The stool sample and X-ray results are collected at a nearby covered basketball court where a sign hanging from the ceiling says a new public health laboratory won’t be open until July 2024.
The Varsitarian first reported in June about the poor conditions at the Manila public health laboratory.
READ MORE: Substandard toilets, large crowds: UST unions complain vs Manila health permit
Health and sanitation permits have become a requirement to operate a business in Manila after the passage of Manila Ordinance 8793, or the Sanitation and Disinfection Code of the City of Manila, in late 2021.
Although UST faculty can avail themselves of routine procedures like scans, blood tests, and stool exams at the UST Hospital or Health Service, Manila requires that the drug test, urinalysis, and stool exam be conducted at the public health laboratory.
Donnel Siazon, president of the Ugnayan ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng UST Hospital had pointed out the irony of the sanitation code being implemented in unsanitary facilities.
“Ang observation ng mga manggagawa na nag-undergo doon sa mga examination na sinasabi ng local government unit, taliwas do’n sa nasa ordinansa,” Siazon had said.
“Kung sanitation ang issue dito, dapat malinis ‘yong mga facilities nila.”
