Notwithstanding its “challenges and trials,” Department of Health Calabarzon Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo said Wednesday the office continues its mandate to develop health innovations and assure quality health care for all.
To further improve and advance its service delivery network in the country, DoH-Calabarzon launched a “telemedicine” program that will provide a broad range of clinical services in various specialty areas, as well as continuing medical education and preventive healthcare to remote health facilities in the region.
“Telemedicine is technology in service delivery network. We will utilize telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical care from a distance,” Janairo said.
He said the program will overcome geographic barriers in health care delivery and will significantly improve access to medical services that are not often consistently available in remote rural communities of the region.
The first telemedicine program was initiated by Janairo in Mimaropa and was instituted at the Dr. Damian Reyes Memorial Hospital in Boac, Marinduque.
It is currently linked with the National Children’s Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, and Batangas Medical Center.
The telemedicine program was organized in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology, AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc., KonsultaMD Global Telehealth, Inc. and Globe Telecom, Inc.
Janairo said the new telemedicine network setup includes a rural diagnostics center, physicians office, and a doctor on call 24/7 who is equipped with a mobile device like tablet, laptop or smartphone.
Among the telemedicine components that will be installed in Calabarzon includes medical and diagnostic equipment such as the 12-lead digital ECG, digital spirometer, spot monitor, transvaginal ultrasound probe, digital otoscope, USB telephonic stethoscope, abdominal USB ultrasound probe, multipurpose camera and scope, a clinical assist and a portable teleclinic in a mobile case.
Pre-consultation, in-consultation, and post-consultation will be done remotely with the use of the telemedicine program.
According to Janairo, health care must also evolve to meet the needs of today’s healthcare consumers.
“The advances in IT system and communication enables medical devices to connect which allows clinicians to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients remotely. Patients can get access to healthcare faster, which is also an important factor in improved patient visit because it will be done easily in their respective areas without the need to travel thereby improving patient outcomes.”