• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Department of Health-Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) Center for Health Development said that “healthcare is now more inclusive and within reach, no matter the distance”, following the signing of the memorandum of agreement on telemedicine services.
“This partnership ensures that every Juan and Juana in Negros Occidental can access professional medical care, right at their fingertips,” the DOH-NIR said in a statement after the provincial government, represented by Governor Eugenio Jose, and the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), through its chief, Dr. Joan Cerrada, signed the MOA that aims to bring telemedicine to communities across the province.
“By harnessing digital solutions to deliver faster and more efficient health services to the people…we strengthen access to healthcare, anytime and anywhere,” said the DOH-NIR, whose director, Dr. Razel Nikka Hao, witnessed the MOA signing at the Capitol in Bacolod City.
Telemedicine refers to the practice of medicine by means of electronic telecommunications technologies, such as via a phone call, chat, or short messaging service (SMS), audio and video conferencing, to deliver healthcare at a distance between a patient at an originating site, and a physician at a distant site, the Capitol said in a press release May 20.
The partnership is in support of the DOH’s Universal Health Care 8-point Action Agenda, which will enable residents, particularly from remote areas, to seek medical care without the need to leave their homes, it added.
The CLMMRH, which has been tapped by the Negros Occidental Province-wide Health System as the apex hospital through an agreement last year, said the telemedicine “marked a big step towards a more accessible and responsive healthcare”.
“With this partnership, residents, especially from remote areas, can seek specialty medical care without leaving home. It’s a practical solution to long-standing access issues and a big win for equitable healthcare,” it added. | CGC
