CONNECTING DOCTORS, PATIENTS IN FARAWAY PLACES VIA RXBOX

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

DOST

Mario, now 68, lives in a remote barangay in Bansalan, Davao del Sur. He said that he had never been to a hospital when he was younger. But lately, he has a hard time seeing things. Since he could not move well, as he used to do, he gained weight.

He would never know what he is suffering from had it not been for a medical mission conducted in their area. His younger brother helped him to join the other residents. One of the doctors examined him closely. He was told that the reason his vision was waning was due to diabetes.

Mario was still lucky. He found out what disease struck him. But others living in far-flung areas don’t have such blessings. In fact, 60% of the 94 million Filipinos today die without seeing a doctor. That’s one for Robert Ripley’s “Believe it or not.”

The reasons for such a high rate: lack of medicines and other life-saving technology, improper distribution of health workers, geographic isolation (particularly those in the islands or without electricity), and commercialized medicine (expensive and out of reach of the poor people).

So, how can these deprived people be helped? To think, the government launched the Universal Health Care (UHC), also referred to as Kalusugang Pangkalahatan, during the administration of Benigno Aquino, Jr. Through UHC, all Filipinos are provided “the highest possible quality of health care that is accessible, efficient, equitably distributed, adequately funded, fairly financed, and appropriately used.”

UHC is a government mandate aiming to ensure that every Filipino shall receive affordable and quality health benefits. Yes, despite the gains of the health sector in recent years, the challenge of delivering improved health care services remains.

One of the constraints identified is “the availability of, access and equity of access to, health professionals and health facilities,” adding that “90% of specialists and 60% of tertiary hospitals are in urban areas” like Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

Another constraint is “the archipelagic nature of the country where there are many geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.” The Philippines, after all, has more than 6,000 islands.

Some experts have identified one possible solution: maximizing the established benefits of information and communications technology (ICT) in health care. Doing so will “enable communication and connect patients, health technology, and health providers.”

Thus, the idea of RxBox came into existence. Touted to be “one of the most important tools generated by the research community,” RxBox is a multi-component program designed to provide better access to life-saving health care service in isolated and disadvantaged communities in the country. It is among the efforts of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for so-called “Smarter Philippines.”

RxBox is an instant hit in areas where it has been introduced. “There’s a big change since we know we have a device which we can really trust. Just in the result alone, we already know what to do,” said a public health nurse in Sabtang, Batanes.

“If that device is not around, I don’t know if my child and I are still alive today since our lives