Telehealth: New cure beyond the white walls
MANILA, Philippines - Within the white walls of the Misamis Oriental Public Hospital, Dr. Ramon Neri, the physician in charge, is at home. He strikes one as casual and good-humored, and it isn’t surprising that during his daily rounds, staff and patients greet him with enthusiasm.
But he is also a visionary, a leader who can be a team player. He has instituted changes in the rural hospital that have greatly benefited the hospital community. And he continues to set higher goals and standards, bringing about significant improvements in and better alternatives to procedures and systems.
Like many developing countries, the Philippines struggles to achieve better healthcare. Though the government has worked hand in hand with corporations and private hospitals to ease the situation, rural healthcare is still left wanting. But Neri remains forward-looking.
With the cooperation of his medical and administrative staff and the support of the community, from the governor to the patients, Neri has made breakthroughs. The one that stands out is the use of telehealth services. The innovation simply refers to the use of technology, such as teleconferencing, to deliver more efficient healthcare services. It was only in May this year that Neri, through Smart Communications, Inc., was able to bring this modern innovation to the Misamis Oriental Public Hospital.
Telehealth links patients to a greater number of medical specialists, gives them more accessibility to health services and more cost-effective options. A team of doctors can give joint diagnoses, confer with their fellows and share best practices, while patients can consult with more doctors and save on costly travel expenses and huge hospital fees.
Like any new idea, telehealth was not accepted without some resistance in the beginning. To gain patient trust, Neri reached out to the community members to educate them on telehealth and quickly set up the essentials for a telehealth service operation: a computer, modem, microphone, webcam, and Smart internet connection.
Neri shares, “In Gingoog, we have been handling uncomplicated and pre-operational cases using telehealth technology.”
Dr. Reynaldo Abriol, another doctor heavily involved in the hospital’s telehealth service, adds, “We have been successful in handling simple cysts, intestinal obstructions, thyroid concerns, as well as hernia and appendicitis cases.”
Though the case of Lolit Gorres is a bit different from the rest, she is living proof of the effectiveness of telehealth in the public hospital. She started feeling pain around the neck area and thought nothing of it until her lymph nodes began to grow. A previous intervention of mission doctors in 2006 was helpful but inadequate as results from a later checkup diagnosed her with papillary carcinoma.
Under the guidance of Neri and other telehealth doctors, Gorres maximized her PhilHealth benefits and got her treatment while remaining, for the most part, in Gingoog. She also was able to attend to responsibilities and keep her personal savings intact. In fact, Gorres says that she owes her recovery to the Misamis Oriental Public Hospital, Doctors Neri and Abriol, and Smart.
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“Internet for All” is an advocacy of Smart Communications to bring the World Wide Web within the reach of every Filipino. To further the advocacy, Smart tapped three of the country’s renowned young photographers Jo Ann Bitagcol, Apple Tapan, and Jake Verzosa to travel around the Philippines and capture compelling images that showcase how the Internet is changing and improving the lives of people.
