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Healthcare IT

The Philippines to implement nationwide TeleHealth initiative

By Adrienne Valdez | 18 October 2011

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have released 100 units of telehealth equipment to different areas of the country to test the efficiency of the National TeleHealth Service Programme before its complete roll out on 2012.

According to DOST Secretary Mario Montejo, “The technology is designed to enhance access to healthcare in remote villages as our answer to the problem of ‘doctorless’ municipalities. People can be diagnosed of illness even if the doctor is not present in their area.”

The National TeleHealth Initiative will use wireless technology to enhance access of rural patients to health experts in different cities.

An “RxBox” will be stationed in health centres in local government units (LGU) where real-time remote monitoring of health signals can be done by experts stationed at the Emergency Case and Coordination Center.

Critical cases can be monitored in real time even in hospitals outside the reach of wired network structures. The RxBox can also be stationed in any rural health centre with an attending physician, as well as in selected Multipurpose Community Telecentre sites.

The technology also aims to empower the aid-dependent local communities to become self-reliant integrated societies responsible for their own health security.

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