With the staggering number of deaths from non-communicable diseases in the country, the health-care sector turned to innovative channels to keep communication lines open to patients to provide them medical attention and care. This prompted the creation of the “Kumusta Dok” initiative that provides remote clinical services amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Based on a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority, in 2020 alone 100,000 Filipinos died from heart disease, over 60,000 from cancer, almost 40,000 from diabetes, roughly around 35,000 from pneumonia, and 25,000 from hypertension.
During a recent webinar, Dr. Patrick Moral, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Ethics, University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, admitted that performing a physical examination was a challenge.
“When we examine patients via telemedicine, we have limitations. For example, we cannot examine them physically. But one advantage of teleconsulting is that we can now see their surroundings and who they live with,” Dr. Moral said during the webinar titled “Kumusta Dok: Healthcare Beyond Covid-19” with representatives from the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPI), the Philippine Alliance for Patient Organization (PAPO), St. Luke’s Medical Center, and UST.
Reconnecting
KUMUSTA Dok is an initiative that aims to empower patients to reconnect with their doctors during the new normal.
It also helps increase the awareness to identify risk factors, signs and symptoms, of the top causes of death among Filipinos, including heart diseases, cancer, stroke, pneumonia, and diabetes.
The program also gives tips and updates on the channels available for patients to strengthen their partnership with doctors throughout the health seeking journey. It shares efforts being done by health-care facilities to ensure the safety of patients and health-care staff while delivering appropriate care.
“Our doctors and facilities also had to adapt to the unprecedented situation that the pandemic threw everyone into and to find new ways in order for them to continue serving our patients,” PHAPI Corporate Secretary Richard Lirio said.
Lirio noted that reports have been coming out about the growing number of Filipino doctors and patients adopting telemedicine, as well as the likelihood of the technology remaining in demand even after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Easing of restrictions
RECENTLY, the public noted the easing of restrictions, the decreasing number of Covid-19 cases, combined with the efforts from health-care facilities to put in place a host of safety measures that would contribute to building the confidence of Filipinos to go back to health-care facilities for consultation.
According to Lirio, these include setting up separate waiting areas exclusively for non-Covid-19 patients, mandatory screening for Covid-19 symptoms, completion of a declaration form prior to entering hospitals, and frequently sanitizing high-contact areas like door handles, railings, and benches.
Patients are also encouraged to set an appointment with their doctors before heading to the hospital or clinic to prevent overcrowding and to maintain physical distancing.
“With the safety measures healthcare professionals have been put in place, immediate and regular consultations are possible even though Covid-19 is still around,” Lirio said. “The best time to see their doctor is now.”
COPD
“THERE have been far fewer Covid-19 fatalities than any of these non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the fear of getting Covid-19 has prevented or discouraged many patients suffering from other serious ailments from getting the medical attention and care they need at a timely manner,” PAPO representative Leyden Florido said.
Florido stressed the need “to get people back to taking charge of their health, especially those with these serious non-communicable diseases before they get worse.”
“Prevention is always better than cure,” Florido said, emphasizing that the earlier the patients consult and seek medical attention, the better for everyone especially true during the pandemic.
“Timely management of medical conditions will lessen the potential for these diseases to worsen to the point of becoming an emergency. This is one way of alleviating our emergency services that attend to both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients,” she furthered.