Far-flung barangay residents get RxBox
ANOTHER breakthrough in health care has arrived in the Philippines and Pangasinenes are among first lucky beneficiaries.
Introducing the RxBox, a health companion in a box.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and University of the Philippines-Manila, developed the RxBox to bring medical and health help to far-flung communities.
Dr. Geohari Hamoy, RxBox project manager and Telemedicine coordinator of the National TeleHealth Centre, said the box is given to geographically isolated disadvantaged areas (GIDA) to save travel and time in going to hospitals.
Each unit has components that can produce electrocardiograph (ECG) results, blood pressure, pulse reader, co-oximeter, thermometer, tachometer and fetal heart tone of babies for pregnant mothers. It also has a sim card which is Wi-Fi ready.
“The RxBox will be a great help in terms of maternal and child health and non-communicable diseases because the box will be available in rural health units (RHUs) to diagnose patients,” Hamoi said as he pointed out that the device is locally made because it was invented by Filipino doctor Alvin Marcelo of UP Manila in collaboration with UP-Diliman’s College of Engineering.
As the RxBox will get vital information from patients, anything beyond normal results will be referred by rural health attendants to clinical specialists.
According to Carla Joyce Cajala, project assistant in DOST-Region I, a training on Telemedicine was held to equip the municipal and city health officers with skills on how to respond immediately to referrals made by RHUs.
“The RxBox is an innovative way to produce better health outcome,” Cajala said.
The Region I Medical Center in Dagupan City is the DOH-accredited facility for telemedicine in the region which received 50 units.
With the RxBox, it feels like a ‘doctor in a box’ is right in the middle of the barangay. (PIA-Pangasinan/VHS)
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