The Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, the biggest public hospital and primary Covid-19 referral facility in Ilocos Norte, is offering hassle-free drive-thru laboratory services.

Jhey-Ar Mangati, health education and promotions officer of the Batac hospital, confirmed this in an interview on Wednesday night, a few hours after it was announced on the official Facebook page of the Department of Pathology and Laboratories.

“This is in line with the efforts of the hospital to reduce the long queues and to contain the spread of Covid-19,” he said.

On the first day of the hospital’s drive-thru laboratory services, Mangati reported that no one has availed of the service yet.

In the next few days, he is optimistic that more people in the province will get used to the hospital’s “new normal” services such as the drive-thru laboratory services, and telemedicine and virtual care in this time of the pandemic.

For the safety and comfort of those requiring laboratory services, patients are encouraged to register via a virtual appointment system through https://bit.ly/mmmhmc_lab_drivethru.

After that, an email confirmation will be sent to the applicant’s registered email where he or she can send payment of laboratory fees thru PAYMAYA, or bank transfer.

Once the online appointment is confirmed and the corresponding payment is settled, the patient is advised to present his or her appointment confirmation to the triage officers upon entering the designated drive-thru extraction area.

The hospital has a dedicated lane that caters to patients on appointments, allowing for more efficient and faster hospital transactions.

In case of cancellations, patients are requested to notify the same channels and a new schedule shall be given to them.

Once an appointment is set, the patient is expected to appear on time to avoid inconvenience.

With the surge of coronavirus cases in the province with 154 new cases, the highest recorded so far in a single day this year, health officials continue to reiterate among residents to always practice the minimum health and safety protocols, even if they are already vaccinated.

Ilocos Norte along with 27 other provinces and cities in the country had been elevated to Alert Level 3, according to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Wednesday.

The order will take effect on Jan. 14, 2022, until January 31, 2022. (PNA)