Telemedicine continues to serve city’s home isolated Covid patients
The number of calls made by volunteer health practitioners to home isolated patients in the Summer Capital due to the coronavirus disease virus 2019 (Covid-19) using the city’s ‘Bantay Covid’ telemedicine platform has totaled 1,491 as of February 14.
This was revealed by City Health Services Office chief Dr. Rowena Galpo during the regular management committee of local officials, Feb. 15, led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong at Baguio Convention Center.
She said there was an uptick in the number of registered users of the free digital program at 148 as compared to 119 last week and only 48 on January 24.
Galpo disclosed that there was also a marked decrease in home isolated patients at only 75 which peaked at 1,898 in January 24 as the city recently transitioned from alert level 3 to 2 due to the dramatic downturn in Covid-19 infections in the city.
She said volunteer medical practitioners may register at www.telemedicine.baguio.gov.ph.
City epidemiology and surveillance unit chief Dr. Donnabel Tubera Panes said these are the Telemedicine step-by-step process for volunteers: 1. Register for an account and wait for its approval. Once approved, an activation link will be sent to your email; 2. Activate your account and login your account credentials. You will be redirected to your telemed dashboard; 3. Click the Start Telemed button to start a teleconsultation. The system will randomly generate a patient for you to contact and evaluate; 4. Call and evaluate the patient based on the health indicators (checklist) listed in the system; 5. Submit your patient’s evaluation and you will be redirected to your telemed dashboard; and 6. Click the Start Telemed button to start a teleconsultation again.
She is advising the public to email at healthserviceoffice@yahoo.com for more details on the telemedicine program.
The mayor said the telemedicine platform was based on a Quezon City model and modified to fit the needs of Baguio’s residents and spearheaded by the Health Services Office in collaboration with the City Mayor’s Office’s Management Information and Technology Division and the Baguio-Benguet Medical Society.
He said the system will allow those who are under home quarantine to interact with doctors and feel the concern of the local government and will also act as a monitoring device that will check on their progress and gathering of appropriate data. – Gaby B. Keith
