Dr. Phoebe dela Cruz, municipal health officer (MHO), said in an interview that the San Jose de Buan and Villareal town in Samar, a coastal municipality, were chosen as beneficiaries of the program.
The National Telehealth System (NTS) connects hospital-based medical specialists and patients in remote and geographically-isolated areas where access to quality medical specialty care is poor. This is done through an appliance called RxBox that collects health data from patients in rural health units.
Dela Cruz said the health data will then be referred to the medical specialists miles away, as there is connection with the gadget she uses to examine the patients. So that instead of the patient travelling elsewhere to get expert medical advice, it can be done through the system.
She added that the National Telehealth Center (NTHC) in the University of the Philippines Manila, together with the DOH, implements the NTS in at least 250 pilot municipalities in the whole country.
“Then there is the software for electronic data base so instead of writing, the data goes directly to the computer, so no need of writing as long as the laptop has a server,” she explained.
The process with all the attendant gadgets can improve our health info system by fast reporting.
“Right now, we are using this at the rural health center where there is a wi-fi connection for the so-called CHIT or community health information system.
“I literally moved heaven and earth to get this project as we belong to the so called ‘geographically-isolated and disadvantaged area (GIDA), including dragging my local chief executive (LCE) to attend the training,” Dela Cruz narrated.
It is important to include the LCE in the training, so he would appreciate what the program can do and support it if needed, she added.
San Jose de Buan is considered one of the poorest municipalities in region 8 with a 57.8 percent poverty incidence based on the 2009 Family Income and Expenditure Survey.
It is located some 60 kilometers away from Samar’s capital city via ill maintained roads that turn muddy in extremely wet weather.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Ninfa Iluminda B. Quirante
Quelle/Source: Philippine Information Agency, 22.07.2013
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