TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Riau Provincial Government has prepared Rp7 billion to establish a Covid-19 test laboratory. Having its own laboratory is expected to help Riau expedite relief efforts in the province.

"The budget is Rp7 billion," Riau Governor Syamsuar said in a press release in Pekanbaru, Friday, April 3,.

He said that the Health Ministry had given Riau the permission to immediately set up its own test lab, so it would not have to rely on the Ministry's lab in Jakarta, which requires longer result-waiting time. The facility will be located within the complex of Arifin Achmad General Hospital.

"This will really help the provincial government to get faster results of the swab tests," Syamsuar said.

The Rp7-billion budget, he said, is used for building renovations and purchasing the necessary equipment that meet WHO standards. The equipment has been imported and has arrived in Singapore. Syamsuar hopes the lab will be ready next week.

Arifin Achmad Hospital director Dr. Nuzelly Husnedi said that the government ordered the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) made by a US company. The PCR will be placed in the hospital's biomedical laboratory. "It will be able to test up to 100 samples per day," Nuzelly said.

ANTARA