I choose The Medical City Hospital located in Pasig City to be my health care organization

and the services that I choose pertain to the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Particularly,
I chose the available swab testing they are currently available, which is the Enhanced
Chemilluminiscence Immunoassay or ECLIA antibody test and the RT-PCR (Reverse
Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction).
I chose this because of the timeliness given the pandemic and the perceived limited
capacity of COVID-testing that there is. We get news that RT-PCR mass testing, which doesn’t
mean mass testing for everyone mind you, is impossible because of the limited tests we have,
the limited staff that can take the swabs and read them, and so on. RT-PCR testing might be the
one in inadequate capacity as only select people are encouraged or allowed to take it. Aside
from that, it’s also more expensive clocking at at least 6000 pesos per test. The ECLIA test
however is also given via drive thru swab and is easily accessible for anyone who can pay for it,
and is allowed to take. I also heard news from my doctor friend that there are a lot of ECLIA
tests in The Medical City although staff capacity is still pretty low to average, which tells me that
the ECLIA might be the excess in this situation given that there is much more stock of it. It is
also the cheaper of the two tests as well, pricing at 2200 pesos.
Despite the price of ECLIA, the criticisms of the inaccuracies of this test might also drive
people to take the RT-PCR tests instead, despite the huge difference in price. This case further
cements that the ECLIA would then be the one in excess in inventory, and the RT-PCR testing is
limited or inadequate to handle the number of people who want to get it due to the criticisms
of ECLIA.
In this case, I believe the solution to this would be more objective screening of the patient
to determine which test is the best one for them to use in that moment. I’ve never been to a
drive thru swab test but according to the site, almost anyone can take the tests, as long as they
are able to book and pay for it. In this case a better screening process to see if these patients
really need the RT-PCR or if the ECLIA would be enough. I think some hospitals already do this,
and I’m not 100% sure if The Medical City has implemented such screening protocols. Another
way to address the capacity issue, although screening would help, would be to partner with
other diagnostic labs that can aid in either the inventory of such tests or the staff that can
rotate to take the samples. This can also lower costs in using equipment and staff on this task,
in behalf of the hospital. But really, the best way to handle the capacity of such tests would be
to screen the patients to allocate the resources to the ones who are most in need to the least,
though this can prove to be a bit difficult in terms of logistics and may pose delays in the drive
thru as well.