Philippines:Misamis Oriental:Cagayan de Oro City patients can now access medical advice via Internet
A first in Mindanao, Misamis Oriental government doctors have formed a partnership with Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) to enable medical practitioners to do consultations with patients online. The use of wireless technology was designed to improve medical care, especially in surgery, under its Smart’s Mobile Surgery Services Project.
On July 26 journalists were able to witness the online consultation between doctors for a young patient in the Provincial Hospital in Balingasag town. The patient had meningocele, a disease relating to an abnormality in the spinal cord. Neurosurgeons stationed at the Provincial Health Office (PHO) based here were able to relate to their colleagues in Balingasag the prognosis of the case which was done via the Oovoo application using a webcam.
“The condition of the patient, who is kilometers away, will be initially attended to by doctors stationed at the PHO.
“The information gathered during the online consultation would enable the members of the mobile surgery team to have a preoperation evaluation and ensure the efficient and on-time performance of surgical procedures on patients at the different provincial hospitals,” said Dr. Maximo Simbulan, head of the Mindanao Consortium of Surgeons.
Gov. Oscar Moreno’s health-care program is a priority for the development of the province. He said the online consultation is a big leap toward addressing the medical needs of his constituents.
He considers this project as his administration’s biggest investment for a vibrant and productive province.
He said the province has already invested more than P.5 billion in the past five years funding the construction of new hospitals and the rehabilitation of existing ones, the upkeep of which has long been neglected by previous administrations.
The Mobile Surgery Services Project is a collaboration of the Misamis Oriental Provincial government and the Mindanao Consortium of Surgeons.
Dr. Ramon Nery, cochairman of the technical working group for hospital operations, said the online consultation will hasten the response of doctors to cases wherever they may be and within reach of the wireless communication technology.
“On the other hand, the online facility would eliminate the need for surgical patients to travel long distances to see doctors based in Cagayan de Oro. There would be no more unnecessary waste of time and money for consultations when it can be done at hospitals near them,” Nery said.
Ramon Isberto, head of Public Affairs of Smart, said the technology has long been available and could now be used to further serve people in the province.
He said the use of Internet connectivity and mobile phones in the field of medicine, especially in surgery, would greatly help improve the local government’s effort to address medical needs of the people and respond, in due time, to cases that need utmost attention by specialists.
“This endeavor is part of Smart’s telehealth efforts under its Kabalikat program in communities. We hope to replicate the Misamis Oriental project in other provinces in the country,” Isberto said.
Smart has provided the province phones that are capable of videos, calls and MMS or 3G phones that would ensure the Internet connectivity among doctors—specialists and hospital residents—in hospitals to the PHO. So far, Smart has already trained nurses and doctors on basic computer literacy and troubleshooting, as well as the use of connectivity tools like e-mail and the webcam.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Butch D. Enerio
Quelle/Source: Business Mirror, 03.08.2010
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