The Department of Justice (DOJ) has warned charges will be slapped against operators of illegal swabbing centers, and those peddling fake Covid 19 swab test results, as the government continues to go after such violators.
In a message to newsmen on Thursday, DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said operators of illegal swabbing centers face charges for violation of the Consumer Act and Republic Act (RA) 4688, or the Act Regulating the Operation and Maintenance of Clinical Laboratories and Requiring the Registration of the Same, and related local ordinances.
Those peddling false medical certificates also violate the Medical Act and Section 9 of RA 11332 on the mandatory reporting of notifiable diseases and are guilty of falsification and/or use of falsified medical certificates, Guevarra added.
Employers have been requiring job seekers and their employees to undergo regular testing for the coronavirus. The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) has issued a warning against fake Covid test results.
PGH has posted this message in social media: “We have received reports of falsified or fake negative results using the PGH SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcription PCR (polymerase chain reaction) Report forms. We wish to inform everyone to avoid dealing with unscrupulous individuals and be wary of suspicious-looking RT-PCR reports.”
Patients can contact PGH to verify their test results or make appointments through the email address opswab.uppgh@up.edu.ph.