HealthTech.PH: DOH

19 Years of Empowering Communities Through eHealthcare

August 03, 2017 The Mail Man 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">The National Telehealth Center (NTHC) commemorated its 19th Anniversary last July 27, 2017. The event included symposia on its advocacies, projects, and programs that utilize technology. These technologies help bring public health services to Filipinos that are otherwise unable to access such services due to barriers in distance and affordability.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The NTHC continues to engage the people with regards to their healthcare needs by harnessing the power of technology. The current ubiquitous use of smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers, the internet, and other medical devices help bring healthcare to disadvantaged and remote Filipinos. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This enhances the capabilities and capacities of public healthcare professionals in bridging the gap that is existing with regards to public healthcare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Program Areas of the NTHC’s eHealthcare are the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">eMedicine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This program gives assistance to the Department of Health (DOH) Doctors to the Barrios and Municipal Health Officers by providing e-Health Telemedicine tools so that health management of patients with special needs in healthcare can be serviced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is also the platform where Telereferrals are transmitted wherein experts will be available for diagnosis and treatment protocols needed by patients in remote and disadvantaged areas. This includes the RxBox program that was developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">eLearning and Capacity Building</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seminars, research, and training are provided to public health workers with regards to eHealth. Available innovative technologies are used so as to health information be available to the public and help in health care decision making and policies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">eRecords</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) is a government Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system that has garnered awards and is now being fully used in Quezon City, Pasay City, and Navotas City.  </span></div>
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<span class="" style="font-size: large;">eSurveillance</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This system gives Local Chief Executives (LCEs) data and information about their localities with regards to health indicators that will be important in their decision-makings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This also features data on critical life-saving services.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">eHealth Policy Advocacy</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">NTHC is at the forefront in formulating e-Health Policy Research and its advocacy is geared for enhanced multi-sectoral partnerships and collaboration.</span></div>
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19 Years of Empowering Communities Through eHealthcare

The National Telehealth Center (NTHC) commemorated its 19th Anniversary last July 27, 2017. The event included symposia on its advoca...

RxBox gets Upgrade

July 21, 2017 The Mail Man 0

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisA75V6tmHD8Uh2YtjyAJYL8Kgu5qzqZAYikAnEije2XqeymilIspVIpEea06HuTrMSlzr88BaAlIfh0_VYy170gnwaXzA-oN9e_qu4R_qUZhdljw_9ycVMXpfdEXJa4PMl_Y7MVl41zzB/s1600/NewRxBox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisA75V6tmHD8Uh2YtjyAJYL8Kgu5qzqZAYikAnEije2XqeymilIspVIpEea06HuTrMSlzr88BaAlIfh0_VYy170gnwaXzA-oN9e_qu4R_qUZhdljw_9ycVMXpfdEXJa4PMl_Y7MVl41zzB/s400/NewRxBox.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New RXBox at the 2017 National Science and Technology Week</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the 2017 National Science and Technology Week, the new RxBox was presented on exhibit. HealthTech.PH has already featured the RxBox in its publications before and the new RxBox is proof of the success it has been in the public health sector.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The RxBox is the result of the cooperation between the National Telehealth Center, The DOST and UP Diliman. According to Dr. Portial Marcelo, director of the National Telehealth Center, the RxVBox can also function as a diagnostic tool since it can monitor the patient’s  heart rate, pulse rate, blood and blood oxygenation. The RxBox enables remote consultations between patients, community health workers, and urban based experts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The RxBox is deployed in remote rural communities and communities that have a high poverty incidence. This is very important to the public health sector since statistics cite that 60% of Filipinos die without seeing doctors and professional medical practitioners. This is more evident in remote rural areas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The RXBox maximizes the capabilities of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that is now more prevalent. Thus, the use of the RxBox has enabled accessibility to a wider range of Filipino citizens for their healthcare needs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The RxBox is capable of the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Blood Pressure Monitor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Measurement of oxygen in the patient’s blood</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Electrocardiogram (ECG)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Fetal Heart Monitor</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Maternal Tocometer</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Thermometer for the patient’s temperature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The RxBox is deployed in 17 regions of the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The presence of the RxBox in the recently concluded National Science and Technology Week brings to the fore the continued commitment of the various agencies involved in improving the public health services of the government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">HealTech.PH has previously published articles about the RxBox. The links are hereunder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.healthtech.ph/2016/06/1000-rxbox-telehealth-devices-to-be.html">http://www.healthtech.ph/2016/06/1000-rxbox-telehealth-devices-to-be.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.healthtech.ph/2016/02/telehealth-game-changer-rxbox.html">http://www.healthtech.ph/2016/02/telehealth-game-changer-rxbox.html</a></span></div>
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DOH DOST EMR Equipment. Technology Events National Telehealth problems in the Philippine healthcare system RxBox gets Upgrade

New RXBox at the 2017 National Science and Technology Week During the 2017 National Science and Technology Week, the new RxBox was ...

The Philippine Healthcare Scene: In Dire Need Of An Overhaul

March 21, 2017 The Reporter 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">With the advent of the Duterte Administration came a slew of changes.
One of the more under-reported changes that this administration is working
towards is the <b><a href="http://medicalobserverph.com/specialreport-why-the-philippine-healthcare-system-model-is-flawed/">overhaul of the Philippine Healthcare System</a></b>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In August 2016, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial <a href="http://www.doh.gov.ph/node/7369">traveled to the Republic of Cuba</a> to observe the country’s healthcare systems. In that trip, the DOH Secretary made these <a href="http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/09/06/doh-cuba-health-care-system.html">key observations</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Prioritize
the accessibility of doctors.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> In Cuba, there is one doctor per 1,075
citizens. The Philippines’ doctors, by contrast, serve 33,000 patients per
doctor. This is why the goal of the DOH is to raise 35,000 doctors more, in
order to serve between 2,000 to 5,000 patients. [</span><a href="http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/580192/lifestyle/healthandwellness/phl-needs-p57b-and-35-000-doctors-to-copy-cuba-s-healthcare-system-doh-chief-says" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Statistics
Source</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">]</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Prioritize
mental healthcare.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Cuba has </span><a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/145914-philippines-learn-cuba-health-services" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">an
existing outpatient service for mental health patients</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">. The Philippines, on
the other hand, doesn’t even have a mental health law.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">    Prioritize
healthcare as a government expense.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> The Health Secretary noted that </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Cuba allocated</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> 28% of their national
budget to healthcare, translating to $460 per capita. On the other hand, the
Philippines spends only $76 per capita.  [</span><a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/145914-philippines-learn-cuba-health-services" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Statistics
Source</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">]</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">  
</span></span><a href="http://today.mims.com/topic/mental-health-in-the-philippines--by-the-numbers"><b>The sadder statistics:</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> 
</span></span>The Philippines has 1 in 5 or 20% of the whole
population suffering from mental health issues. In a population of 100 million,
this translates to 20 million mentally ill patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> 
</span></span>The Philippines has only 700 doctors serving the
20 million population of mentally ill patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from these dire priorities of the health care system in the
Philippines, there is another issue that begs to be addressed: That of the
urgent need for an electronic medical record system to be rolled out across
hospitals and clinics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Retired pediatrician Dr. Leonardo Leonidas wrote of a story about how a
nurse from Maine, USA visited his pediatrician’s office in 1994. The nurse rated
his office at 92.3%, no doubt, a higher rating against the 89.5% average of the
rest of the pediatricians in Maine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dr. Leonidas pointed out that one of the keys that ensured the
efficiency of the inspection of his office included the presence of an EMR
system. <a href="http://opinion.inquirer.net/80860/electronic-medical-records-urgently-required">He
also outlined how the DOH can effectively implement the EMR system in the
Philippines</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Truth be told, given the dire situation of healthcare in the country,
going digital or electronic may seem to be a less urgent priority, as opposed
to first improving the patient-to-doctor ratio. In fact, the DOH has been
looking to prioritize <a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/138572-new-doh-secretary-induction">the
completion of the Universal Health Insurance</a>, “especially for the poor”
first and foremost, then the next top priority is to <a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/145333-ubial-cuba-health-system-doctors-needed">increase
healthcare accessibility on the barangay level</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Given these priorities for the government, a couple of questions beg to be asked: Where does the government integrate the
need to keep accurate records of patient care? When does the government aim to ensure
that there is data being gathered, in order to determine the next steps in
patient and health care improvement?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These are burning questions that need to be addressed. Meanwhile, since
the Philippines has a very strong private healthcare sector, one big way that
doctors can contribute to nation-building is to ensure that their own patients’
medical records are accurately kept. This way, epidemiological data from the
private healthcare sector will be able to contribute to the country’s larger
body of healthcare data. And this pooled data, from private and government
sectors alike, shall accurately guide and shape ongoing and future healthcare
policies. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Photo Inspiration Credits: </b><a href="http://medicalobserverph.com/specialreport-why-the-philippine-healthcare-system-model-is-flawed/" target="_blank">Medical Observer</a></div>
</div>

The Philippine Healthcare Scene: In Dire Need Of An Overhaul

DOH healthcare policies healthcare statistics Philippine Healthcare Philippine Healthcare system problems in the Philippine healthcare system statistics The Philippine Healthcare Scene: In Dire Need Of An Overhaul

With the advent of the Duterte Administration came a slew of changes. One of the more under-reported changes that this administrati...

New Hospital In Sipalay City, Negros Island Region Now In Full Operation

March 08, 2017 Francis Dominic 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta6yfSc3HmfeiFNUDqDtWdgxdLmwAUVWSARUO3aZ-w6ds8QvrHZi9FREv42kDmFUCK8pALqfZ5WQS-gfGCkKaSCdB5N72xhjozFLh-WBiPcx97QvAZ5QOvnWlq7q7E06RBHdzVhOenIoU/s1600/sipalay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta6yfSc3HmfeiFNUDqDtWdgxdLmwAUVWSARUO3aZ-w6ds8QvrHZi9FREv42kDmFUCK8pALqfZ5WQS-gfGCkKaSCdB5N72xhjozFLh-WBiPcx97QvAZ5QOvnWlq7q7E06RBHdzVhOenIoU/s400/sipalay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A new hospital in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental is now on its full operation after a major reconstruction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Department of Health (DOH), through its Health Facility Enhancement Program, has poured in almost P77 million worth of equipment and infrastructure to the Merceditas J. Montilla District Hospital located at Barangay Canturay in this southern Negros city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The hospital is fully equipped with medical machines and equipment needed for the treatment and diagnosis of the public. “We are commending the provincial government for this project that will surely bring more quality health services to the people in Sipalay City and the nearby areas,” Health Assistant Secretary Enrique Tayag, who was the guest of honor at the hospital’s inauguration, said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since Sipalay city is now a rising tourist destination in the southern part of the Negros Island due to its beautiful coasts and islands, the hospital boosts the confidence of the people living in and coming to the city. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The P140-million two-storey infirmary, constructed starting 2011, is among the 11 provincial government-run hospitals in Negros Occidental.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The hospital now operates as a 75-bed capacity health institution and has 56 personnel, comprised of four doctors, 21 nurses, clerks, administrative staff, security guards, and utility workers.</span><br />
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DOH Healthcare Hospital Negros Island Region Sipalay City New Hospital In Sipalay City, Negros Island Region Now In Full Operation

A new hospital in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental is now on its full operation after a major reconstruction. The Department of Health...

HIV Treatment Hubs from DOH released

January 29, 2017 The Mail Man 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg8atuCSrR9lSHeRopsRcpdfRneuybTq7NG_cOxWc808UWbXGROJ2zPzhE9r9Q3SqnnDOb0lzGO6yQctN3QkJz54eUUEWwu2mkoNE-4iAv4ZsfB_1Wqt4Yuu_R6mtpzJkCdGA2OG0829u/s1600/aids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg8atuCSrR9lSHeRopsRcpdfRneuybTq7NG_cOxWc808UWbXGROJ2zPzhE9r9Q3SqnnDOb0lzGO6yQctN3QkJz54eUUEWwu2mkoNE-4iAv4ZsfB_1Wqt4Yuu_R6mtpzJkCdGA2OG0829u/s400/aids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">HIV/AIDS was first discovered by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US in 1981 but it spread from West Central Africa late in the 19th Century – early 20th Century. HIV/AIDS was also discovered in the Philippines during the early part of the 20th Century but was only confined to monkeys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By 2015, there was an estimated 36.1 million HIV/AIDS cases worldwide and 1.1 million died that year. The pandemic has already claimed 39 million lives since the 1980s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the Philippines, HIV/AIDS was recorded in the mid-1980s, with actor George Estregan to be one of the most notable victims. In the past decade, the cases of HIV/AIDS continued to increase in the Philippines. The Department of Health (DOH) reported that early 2016, 804 new cases of the disease has been recorded. This was the highest rate of new cases since 1984 when it was first monitored nationally. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although risk factors such as unprotected sex, transactional sex, multiple sex partners and syringe sharing among drug addicts are considered top causes of the infection, the dearth of testing facilities contributed to under-monitoring and persistent cases of infection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The UN Joint Venture on AIDS warned that if left unchecked, the country can experience a full blown AIDS epidemic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In its efforts to address the serious health concern In lieu with this, the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines has released their updated list of treatment hubs and facilities for HIV/AIDS in the Philippines. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hereunder is the list:</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaf6Kp77ViUWlZbmyFofh667qIFuWIQ8w70oFx9J5gG3XGXkkl9IocJs5yWC-J7Ws9nVjPqmDdeT1cH_5FfPBcgs4ZvJhxdVlP6iat5P98F4EDw6ntb5Eh6hAmzcMvLnyz4R4BcCaFQfL/s1600/HIVAIDS-treatment-facility-June-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaf6Kp77ViUWlZbmyFofh667qIFuWIQ8w70oFx9J5gG3XGXkkl9IocJs5yWC-J7Ws9nVjPqmDdeT1cH_5FfPBcgs4ZvJhxdVlP6iat5P98F4EDw6ntb5Eh6hAmzcMvLnyz4R4BcCaFQfL/s640/HIVAIDS-treatment-facility-June-2016.jpg" width="445" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is the plan to present opportunities for early detection and intervention with regards to HIV/AIDS victims that the increase will be arrested.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is no cure/vaccine for HIV/AIDS. The only effective protocol is for anti-retroviral drugs that will slow down the progress of the disease and improve life expectancy of those afflicted. Without such treatment protocols, the life expectancy of an infected person will only have a maximum of 11 years after infection.</span></div>
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DOH Hospitals Policy Professional HIV Treatment Hubs from DOH released

HIV/AIDS was first discovered by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US in 1981 but it spread from West Central Africa late in ...

RxBox: Training for Trainors

November 02, 2016 The Mail Man 0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFO2wju8e11K91QzKise5MD6pjZM6Cv4HjdhnWsffa4gndmrmFNhYCDMfId3_KmUsprxINB_aMkzrD2F0X7bQOtRlzQu94BbZ7-f4VXlqwExoKYyMWXuK5xRWM_FGgFlyOyK8bpSrxJGA8/s1600/RXBox+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFO2wju8e11K91QzKise5MD6pjZM6Cv4HjdhnWsffa4gndmrmFNhYCDMfId3_KmUsprxINB_aMkzrD2F0X7bQOtRlzQu94BbZ7-f4VXlqwExoKYyMWXuK5xRWM_FGgFlyOyK8bpSrxJGA8/s400/RXBox+pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RxBox Trainors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Following the eventual distribution of 1,000 RxBox units next year, IT Trainors were trained last Oct. 19 – 21, 2016 at the Computational Research Center at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The trainees were from all 18 Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Offices and the National Telehealth Center's (NHTC’s) regional coordinators. The training was conducted  by the NHTC TxBox Team and the NTHC Technology Group together with the UP Diliman EEEI IRC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The RxBox is part of the National Telehealth Program. The RxBox enables patients from rural and depressed communities to avail of medical consultations such as body temperature, blood pressure, and other diagnostic services.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first 143 RxBoxes have been field tested and passed the trials needed. These will greatly amplify the government’s commitment to deliver quality medical services to those who are most needy and not in the immediate areas served by traditional Rural Health Units and Health Centers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The RxBox is a result of cooperation from three disciplines namely, engineering, medicine and ICT and was developed and made by Filipinos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During commitment ceremonies last June 2016, Dr. Montoya, Sec. Montejo, and Dr. Tayag, with University of Philippines (UP) Manila Vice Chancellor for Research and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Executive Director Eva Maria Cutiongco-Dela Paz, participated in the commitment signing of RxBox on “working together to provide better access to life saving healthcare services to every Juan.”  </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The training was funded by the DOST.</span></div>
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DOH EMR Equipment Health IT Professional Technology RxBox: Training for Trainors

RxBox Trainors Following the eventual distribution of 1,000 RxBox units next year, IT Trainors were trained last Oct. 19 – 21, 2016 a...

Duterte Health Agenda Unveiled

September 15, 2016 The Mail Man 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmPNc7xTcD5cAs8bTUhbJavQvlbmELIsHzbHkKP8vSmQK1VsBUws8-VhiAkTX64HyKZ108X3nPS_QmouH4rCSWAMTWhdd3iPiKTqGdqiJJcq6w5gyjFu6LtRQd5F2I_Er5LfJUBzoLtKV/s1600/DOH-Duterte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmPNc7xTcD5cAs8bTUhbJavQvlbmELIsHzbHkKP8vSmQK1VsBUws8-VhiAkTX64HyKZ108X3nPS_QmouH4rCSWAMTWhdd3iPiKTqGdqiJJcq6w5gyjFu6LtRQd5F2I_Er5LfJUBzoLtKV/s400/DOH-Duterte.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The National Health Summit will be conducted on September 15, 2016 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) by the Department of Health (DOH) with the poorest of the Filipinos as its main focus. The goal is Universal Health Care (UHC) said Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Rosell-Ubial.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another goal is the availability of low-cost medical care that will free the poor from profit oriented health services. The third goal is that Filipinos who avail of health care get the respect and a sense of being valued. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Health Secretary explained that all of these goals are anchored on the theme “Strengthening Partnerships to Achieve All for Health Towards Health for All.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“And the underlying concept in our slogan or theme is that ‘health is everyone’s concern’ and not just of the health workers or the health sectors… Even the individual should take a stake at his own health or it should also be individual’s responsibility,” Ubial said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Early intervention on the health needs of the very poor must be readily available so as to prevent full blown or very severe cases.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> “The National Health Summit) aims to present E-Health System tools to strengthen local health governance, secure local and national support for the implementation of the Duterte Health Agenda,” the health secretary shared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is crucial that local partners support the goals of the DOH in the health system since public health care has already been devolved to the local government units.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">”It is devolved to the local government units (LGUs) and we know if we work with them as partners, we can attain so much in terms of advancing our goal of UHC,” she said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The National Health Summit’s expected outcome will be the availability of basic free check-ups to 20 million poor Filipinos after 100 days of the summit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The basic check-ups include: physical examination, CBC (complete blood count), urinalysis, breast cancer check-up, cervical cancer screening, digital rectal exam for men, and others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The focus of the program will be the poor that will be identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with its National Household Targetting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR). These are the poorest sectors of the Philippine population that the government must serve and be reached with its health services.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The cooperation of LGUs will be crucial in bringing quality health services to the poor. This is sincluded in the 10 – Point Economic Agenda of the Duterte administration.</span></div>
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DOH Events Healthcare Cost Hospitals Policy Duterte Health Agenda Unveiled

The National Health Summit will be conducted on September 15, 2016 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) by the Depart...

DOH Gears up for Drug War

August 05, 2016 The Mail Man 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">Since the inauguration of President Duterte, the wave of “surrenderees” has been astonishing. The  number has been tagged at 500,000 as of August 1, 2016. These “surrenderees” are composed of drug addicts and small time pushers coming from the destitute communities all over the country. They are depicted in numerous TV news, radio programs, and print matter.<br /><br />It is unprecedented as was pointed out as an indicator of success on the new administrations’ war on drugs. But the sheer number overwhelmed the services that is supposed to serve as the first base of managing the illegal drugs problem. The local health units of every LGU, already devolved from the national agencies found it difficult to cope with the unexpected deluge.<br /><br />The Department of Health (DOH) has already been preparing for such an eventuality since “D-Day” or the first day of the new administration. In coordination with other government agencies on how to manage the influx of the surrenderees.<br /><br />Last August 2, 2016, DOH-NCR initiated a 4-day program in training about 30 doctors from local government units (LGUs) with regards to determining and diagnosis of drug addicts. This will also be the basis on what kind of treatment will be applied upon referral to the DOH.<br /><br />Dr. Alfonso Villaroman of the DOH treatment and rehabilitation center based in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City cited the different levels of addiction during a health forum in Quezon City. The different levels will result in different treatment protocols ranging from counselling, out-patient rehabilitation or being admitted to a residential rehabilitation facility.<br /><br />Dr. VIllaroman explained the types and these are the following:<br /><br />1.    Experimental Users – those that tried using marijuana and then never used it again.<br />2.    Occasional Users – those that take drugs during parties and night outs with friends.<br />3.    Regular Users – those that imbibe on illegal drugs consistently (every 3 days, once a week or every 2 weeks).<br />4.    Compulsive Users – also diagnosed with co-morbid disorders or co-occurring diseases. The frequency of use will result in mental disorders (psychosis, paranoia), hypertension, cardio-pulmonary diseases and even infectious diseases such as HIV and TB made more likely because of the lifestyle. <br /><br />The participants of the training program will be able to assess the level of addiction and will recommend the correct response to each addiction.<br /><br />Levels 1 to 3 can be managed by counselling and out-patient programs while those level 3 and 4 will be managed by admission in rehabilitation centers. <br /><br />“Addiction is an illness. Not all illnesses are severe. It’s the same with addiction.” Said Dr. Villaroman.<br /><br />LGUs will also be provided a manual for community based drug treatment that was launched last year by the DOH and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime together with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).<br /><br />This training will also be given to social workers of the DSWD and will be adopted in other regions. This multi-pronged approach will be utilized to manage the “surrenderees” and is part of a broad spectrum strategy in fighting illegal drugs and drug addiction in the country. The “three pillars” of this approach will be “assess, diagnose and refer”. This will be undertaken with the cooperation of the DILG, DOH and DSWD. <br /><br />Dr. Villaroman said “Don’t be judgmental. They can be the best that they can be.”</span></div>
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Dental Health DOH News Policy DOH Gears up for Drug War

Since the inauguration of President Duterte, the wave of “surrenderees” has been astonishing. The number has been tagged at 500,000 as o...

UP Students Win in Hackathon with device and app that could help save lives

July 26, 2016 The Mail Man 0

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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />The Philippine public health system have come a long way. This writer remember stories told by grandparents who had brothers and sisters, parents and relatives who died of cholera, typhoid and dysentery. This was a time wherein there was no piped water and there was open sewage. <br /><br />The breakthrough came when clean water was provided and a sewerage system was constructed. In  an urbanized community, wherein there is a dense population, such infrastructure is one of the basics of public health.<br /><br />Now it is still a health concern since population pressure in the urban areas continues unmitigated. Also, infrastructure development is still very much wanted in rural and remote localities.<br /><br />With these in mind, a group of students from the University of the Philippines (UP)  is trying to address this health concern via their mobile device and application. This device and app won first prize at the #thinkOPENhealth Hackathon for Health that was held last April 16 – 17, 2016 at the Asian Institute of Management. The group won Php100,000 in cash and various gadgets for their entry. <br /><br />Physics students from UP, called Quantum Hackers developed and created a device that analyzes the quality of water. This was done in Hackathon manner within 24 hours. Norman Mascarinas, Kit Guial and Junel Bagcong came up with a user-friendly device and app that has sensors that can test for water quality such as salt content and turbidity (clearness from particles). It is called Shine Herald.<br /><br />It is a product with remote and far flung areas in mind wherein a barangay official need only push a button to conduct tests on water quality. It can then be transmitted to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) where sensors can be installed for water quality monitoring.<br /><br />The inspiration came from Guial’s sister who is a nurse and have experienced medical missions in such areas wherein water quality has to be assessed first and tends to me a tedious process. Water from the area needs to be brought to a laboratory in Manila for analysis.Then can only the health professionals go to the location and conduct the medical mission with the data and information at hand.<br /><br /> “Our goal is to identify which rural areas have polluted water which could lead to diseases. We want to equip barangays with affordable and easy- to-build instruments. The locals can test and assess water quality themselves. They just have to submerge the probe into the sample,” said Mascarinas.<br /><br />“As a startup, we could deploy to rural areas these devices with the help of the DOH. Many of these places are not easily accessible to government agencies. We want to automate the entire water testing and analysis process,”  Bacong disclosed.<br /><br />“The portable Shine Herald device, which cost just P4,000.00 to build, has a microcontroller that acts as its CPU. We wrote a program that can generate a message of 140 characters, very much like the maximum characters of a text message,”  according to Bagcong.<br /><br />Source: Readings from DOH website</span></div>
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Community Clinics DOH Equipment Health IT Hospitals Technology UP Students Win in Hackathon with device and app that could help save lives

The Philippine public health system have come a long way. This writer remember stories told by grandparents who had brothers and sisters,...

Best Public Healthcare System: DOH Sec. Paulyn Jean Ubial off to Cuba

July 11, 2016 The Mail Man 0

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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />In efforts to have meaningful and effective health and social services, the new administration is off to emulate the best health and social practises that is available. In a laudable move, President Duterte is sending his secretaries and experts all over the world in studying, developing and implementing projects and programs that will benefit the Filipino people.<br /><br />One of the most notable public healthcare systems can be found in Cuba. Notwithstanding the economic and political; embargoes since the late 1950s imposed on Cuba, that country has managed to evolve its healthcare system.<br /><br />Newly minted Department of Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial will be sent to Cuba in order to study its healthcare and health welfare system so as to assimilate and craft a system that will be applicable to the Philippine context. <br /><br />This is hoped top address the public health system wherein a considerable number of Filipinos die without even seeing the services of health professionals. President cited the experience of Philippine General Hospital physicians who had to provide money for patients to procure needed medicines. <br /><br />Although the DOH has had its budget increased during the past administration, such additional projects and programs that the new thrust would entail will need additional funding. PAGCOR is one of the potential source of funds since its last declaration of P11,549,625,355.77 of total income can be a source of such funds.<br /><br />“That’s why I’m sending Secretary Ubial to Cuba. So kung sinong gustong pumunta, that has something to do with human welfare, they have a good practice there and if you guys want to go there you can go, I will allow you,”, “They had perfected a welfare system for all na ba ka makopya natin (that we could copy),”  Duterte disclosed.<br /><br />Cuba has been cited by the World Health Organization (WHO) for being efficient in its implementation of universal healthcare.<br /><br />According to a case study titled “Cuban experience with local production of medicines, technology transfer and improving access to health”, which was published in 2015 by WHO,  enlisted the Cuban Government’s changes made in the health sector, which developed prevention of diseases.<br /><br />“Health activities to fight infectious diseases were carried out nationwide, among them the national polio vaccination campaign; this activity, held annually since 1962, has eliminated polio in Cuba, an achievement officially recognized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the (WHO),” it cited<br /><br />Since 1966, Cuba created  the first health science institutes in specialized hospitals and is a fully integrated national system. Also from the WHO, in the year 2015, Cuba was validated as  the first country that eliminated transmission of HIV and syphilis in mother to child transmission mode. Cuba posted a national life expectancy average for its citizens at 78.45 years.<br /><br /></span></div>
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DOH Global News Innovations Professional Best Public Healthcare System: DOH Sec. Paulyn Jean Ubial off to Cuba

In efforts to have meaningful and effective health and social services, the new administration is off to emulate the best health and soci...

Negros Island Region Has The Most Modern Regional Hospital

May 03, 2016 Tech Support • 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">BACOLOD, Philippines -  Behind a ninety year old facade, a modern hospital awaits to serve patients of the newly formed Negros Island Region.  The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), formerly called the Occidental Negros Provincial Hospital (ONPH), is one of the oldest operational hospitals in the country.  Founded on March 24, 1926 with a 25-bed capacity, it is located at Lacson-Burgos Streets, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Being a structure more than fifty years old, the CLMMRH is not only a hospital but a national heritage site.  On May 30, 2012, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed the historical marker at the CLMMRH Heritage Building, declaring it as a building of cultural heritage because of its strong American architecture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in Bacolod City can now cater to more patients, as it opened on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, the West Tower Building, a health infrastructure with facilities amounting to more than P1 billion.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">With this development, the CLMMRH, the only hospital in Negros Island Region run by the Department of Health, is positioned to improve the quality of health services and provide higher tertiary care to its clients.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Dr. Julius Drilon, medical center chief, who led the blessing and inauguration rites of the building last April 13, said the opening of the newest facility marks another step for the regional hospital in bringing a higher level of patient care.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Drilon said the new facilities enable CLMMRH, an International Standardization Organization (ISO)-certified government-run hospital, to provide compassionate health services that are accessible and world-class, yet affordable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The facility is open to patients of all economic status for direct admissions, he said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Drilon added that indigents can still avail of the Philippine Health 
Insurance Corp. program and the hospital’s no-billing policy.<br /><br />The
 P436-million six-storey West Tower Building, with a floor area of 5,460
 square meters, can accommodate additional 163 in-patient beds.<br /><br />The
 infrastructure is coupled with P572 million worth of state-of-the-art 
medical and non-medical equipment, including high definition endoscopy 
system, mobile X-ray, mammography system, pneumatic tube, ultrasound 
machine, patient monitors with central station and accessories, 
anesthesia machine ventilators, and operating tables with room lights, 
monitors, and video management system, among others.<br /><br />The hospital will also start its kidney transplant services by mid 2016.<br /><br />Undoubtedly, the CLMMRH is the most modern and well equipped Regional Hospital in the country today.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*video by Square Productions</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.healthtech.ph/2015/04/how-two-non-dentists-are-helping-shape.html"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How Two Filipino Non-Dentists Are Helping Shape The Future Of Dental Practice Management</span></span></a></span></span></b><br />
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The dental profession is one which is clearly shaped by the dentists 
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Negros Island Region Has The Most Modern Regional Hospital

Cost Rationalizations DOH EMR Featured Health IT Hospitals News Policy Technology Negros Island Region Has The Most Modern Regional Hospital

BACOLOD, Philippines - Behind a ninety year old facade, a modern hospital awaits to serve patients of the newly formed Negros Island Regi...

Mar Roxas' Position on Health Care

April 15, 2016 Tech Reporter 0

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<span style="font-size: large;">The 1991 
Local Government Code mandated that local government take greater 
autonomy in its governance. This involved the devolution of certain 
national government responsibilities to the local government level. 
Among these were income generation/sharing and healthcare. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, the devolution of healthcare made for an inequitable 
distribution of services and resources wherein local governments with 
less resources had to contend with greater healthcare demands. Thus, 
according to statistics 3 out of 10 Filipinos die without the attendance
 of a doctor. This also goes for hospitals with inadequate staffing and 
equipment. This is the area that healthcare reforms are very much 
needed.<br /><br />With the 2016 Presidential Elections up ahead, this is the position of Mar Roxas on  Health Care as documented on Wikipedia:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Roxas' position on health care has been highlighted with his cheaper medicines bill that would reduce the prices of medicine by allowing local pharmaceutical companies to manufacture drugs whose patents had already expired, by expanding the parallel imports of commonly used drugs, and by aggressively promoting the production and consumption of generic drugs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Under the bill, the President is empowered to impose price ceilings on medicines on the recommendation of the secretaries of health and of trade and industry in times of calamity, and if there is widespread price manipulation of any drugs.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">His bill also calls for the creation of a Drug Prices Regulation Board and the strengthening of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).[6]</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although there has been controversy regarding his authorship of the law and his actual positions. He has also been accused of watering down the cheaper medicines act, and is actually in support of mulch-nationals.[7]</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But on October 9, 2007, he dropped his objection to the version of the House of Representatives which proposes setting up of market controls and conceded that the sponsors of a similar bill in the House correctly anticipated that big drug companies could manipulate and prevent drugstores from selling imported cheaper medicines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He said the use of price controls could come in if market competition from cheaper medicines from abroad and generic drugs do not work and make medicines affordable to the public.[8]</span><span style="font-size: large;">Drilled down to three key points, Mar Roxas' platform is:<br /><br />1.    100% Philhealth Membership<br />2.    Capacity building for public healthcare facilities<br />3.    Barangay Health Units that can provide immediate and quality healthcare.</span><br />
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Advocacy Community Clinics DOH Featured Healthcare Cost Movers and Shakers Policy Mar Roxas' Position on Health Care

The 1991 Local Government Code mandated that local government take greater autonomy in its governance. This involved the devolution of c...

Closing the gaps in community and rural medicine. The National Telehealth Center

February 24, 2016 The Mail Man 0

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5uzgjWkWdXopD1K1elzeI6o84rR779afkR0pV-VOvhlrzBl2jvOCyMiq6SbaQZELEC1boB0GgJAz8sS4e2uh3QU2ZZhXZBFT-fCPvoyz0gptteqv2UghokOJ3BEhr_WaokNfo4h1eZpU/s1600/Tele1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5uzgjWkWdXopD1K1elzeI6o84rR779afkR0pV-VOvhlrzBl2jvOCyMiq6SbaQZELEC1boB0GgJAz8sS4e2uh3QU2ZZhXZBFT-fCPvoyz0gptteqv2UghokOJ3BEhr_WaokNfo4h1eZpU/s640/Tele1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />The plight of rural medicine or even urban community medicine can be likened to the Doctor to the Barrios of Dr. Juan Flavier which presents the stories in a light manner or the realities of Dr. Johnny Escandor in all it grim realities. But the fact remains that rural and community medicine and practice is one he holy grails of Philippine Medicine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />The efforts of past health secretaries to entice the newest talents from Philippine medical schools have already created a culture among those newly graduated to put in their time. It is a noble effort and is comparable to the former Soviet Union’s “Hero Projects”. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY66QGPvCw_YjArQMM-4Ff5crdeGt6k_Ou0KqS657x8rpEAhtvZIrsbhQCZbtHBmmqMRTqbknlJmgeySWN0vYxBJZr1U1nuiAxwwGRGLcTJgQvdROv8kJugYi-WjiSp4-WyxE3xKVuPhyphenhyphen/s1600/Tele2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY66QGPvCw_YjArQMM-4Ff5crdeGt6k_Ou0KqS657x8rpEAhtvZIrsbhQCZbtHBmmqMRTqbknlJmgeySWN0vYxBJZr1U1nuiAxwwGRGLcTJgQvdROv8kJugYi-WjiSp4-WyxE3xKVuPhyphenhyphen/s320/Tele2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />The success of these young doctors and medical professional also hinges on the support of both those that sent them and the community. The community, having the wisdom to take care of their “doctor” will leave no stone unturned in supporting the assigned medical professional. But there are gaps that the community simply could not fill in. A knowledge and experience database is an important component in community medicine.<br /><br />Unlike in conventional internships in hospitals, usually the young physician would have to rely on his accumulated knowledge and the experience of those previously encountered which does not really build up into a formidable storage of knowledge.<br /><br />In 2004, the University of the Philippines proposed the National Telehealth Center as a project. Having learned of the gaps in community medicine through its graduates, UP came up with Telehealth. It was initially a web-based portal made by a development team that employed the “Buddy Works”  wherein a referring physician can type in questions and will be answered by other physicians at the other end of the network.<br /><br />In 2007, Dr. Alvin Marcelo who was a TOYM awardee for Medical Informatics headed the project. This paved the way for grants to come in for Public Health Informatics and that the DOH also made initial investments in Telehealth.<br /><br />Currently, the National Telehealth Center covers 259 Local Government Units that covers the Cordillera Autonomous Region, Region VIII, Tawi-Tawi and Romblon.<br /><br />Source: Interview with Dr. Portia Marcelo, Director, National Telehealth Center</span></div>
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Closing the gaps in community and rural medicine. The National Telehealth Center

Advocacy DOH EMR Equipment Health IT Innovations Movers and Shakers Policy Technology Closing the gaps in community and rural medicine. The National Telehealth Center

The plight of rural medicine or even urban community medicine can be likened to the Doctor to the Barrios of Dr. Juan Flavier which prese...

Forensic DNA technology: A powerful tool for judicial reform

January 25, 2016 Tech Support • 0

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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DNA testing is the most powerful tool for human identification. Since its discovery in the mid-1980s, DNA profiling had caused a paradigm shift in the identification of victims, perpetrators and witnesses in numerous cases. The identification of genetic markers that are highly variable in human populations is a major step toward the establishment of reference as well as criminal databases needed for statistical evaluation of matching DNA evidence, or identification of repeat offenders, respectively. In addition, the chemical stability of a DNA molecule against harsh environmental challenges such as extreme temperatures and high humidity makes it more suitable for criminal investigations which lasts for months, even years in the Philippines. Moreover, the fact that a person inherits one’s DNA from one’s parents, provides an investigator with alternative reference samples, when an individual’s own reference biological sample is unavailable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recent advances in forensic DNA testing are now paving the way for reforming the manner by which cases are resolved in courts of law through the way suspected offenders are apprehended during a criminal investigation. Firstly, the availability of new markers which are more variable across different populations, adds to the increased power of discrimination once more genetic markers are used. From the time when DNA testing only involved seven to nine genetic markers to evaluate if crime scene evidence matches a suspect’s profile, as well as to determine relationships, to the current battery of 21 autosomal markers and 23 male-specific markers, the capacity of DNA profiling to differentiate individuals has increased significantly. The use of automated and expert systems for large-scale analysis has also been found to reduce manual errors and to increase output per unit time. The use of several dyes in a single multiplex system provides more information from the same amount of genetic material compared to reactions targeting only one genetic marker but requiring the same amount of DNA that was common in the early 1990s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More recent developments involve the use of information derived from mutation rates of a group of genetic markers, known as short tandem repeats, located on the Y-chromosome (Y-STRs), which enables us to differentiate from paternally related male persons. Scientists, including those in our laboratory at UP Diliman (www.dnaforensic.org), are continuing to search for new and better polymorphic markers for purposes of human identification. This work will be undertaken within the Program on Forensics and Ethnicity of the Philippine Genome Center wherein advances in genomics such as next generation sequencing technology (NGS), as well as microarray work, will be used to accelerate the process of discovery of genes which are highly variable in Philippine populations (www.pgc.up.edu.ph).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Secondly, the development of more robust reaction mixes coupled with shorter PCR products has also opened the possibility of re-testing old case samples which may have yielded negative results such as in cold cases, or in the re-opening of cases wherein prisoners continue to claim their innocence and relevant biological samples are still available (post-conviction DNA testing). Recently, the Innocence Project Philippines Network was launched at the National Bilibid Prison and the Correctional Institute of Women (https://www.facebook.com/InnocenceProject Philippines). The Network consists of student volunteers in legal aid clinics of the law schools of the University of the Philippines, De La Salle University and Ateneo de Davao; law faculty, lawyers providing pro-bono work, NGOs, private citizens and scientists at the UP DNA laboratory who are working together to evaluate prospective wrongful conviction cases. In its initial phase, the volunteers are tasked to find cases that have become final and executory but that may be re-opened for post-conviction DNA testing following the Rules on DNA Evidence that was promulgated by the Supreme Court in 2007. In the Philippines wherein DNA testing of cases such as People vs. Hubert Webb et al. and People vs. Paco Larranaga et al. could have provided answers to many questions and confirmed or negated witnesses’ testimonies, the use of post-conviction DNA testing, that is now recognized by the Supreme Court, remains to be realized.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thirdly, the US FBI recently reported the development of faster and portable DNA analytical systems that would allow investigators to generate DNA profiles on site, thereby increasing the chances of apprehending the real perpetrator almost in real time. The speed and accuracy of these portable DNA systems are crucial in criminal investigations. In the Philippines where no DNA legislation exists governing the collection, handling and storage of crime scene evidence as well as in the establishment and security of criminal databases, the use of these analytical systems will not have its maximum effect. More importantly, as science, particularly genetics, continues to expand its forensic applications, there is an urgent need for revising the curriculum of relevant courses such as criminology, public administration, political science and law, into incorporating relevant science and genetics topics, in order to improve the education of our future law enforcement personnel, administrators, politicians, legislators, lawyers and judges. Only with an increased appreciation and recognition of science and its numerous uses at the service of society, could we maximize the fruits of scientific research and discoveries that scientists, including Philippine scientists, are making for the good of all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The author, Maria Corazon A. De Ungria, Ph.D., received the NAST Outstanding Young Scientist Award in 2003 for Molecular Biology. She is the current head of the DNA Analysis Laboratory, Natural Sciences Research Institute of UP Diliman, the director of the Program on Forensic and Ethnicity of the Philippine Genome Center, and a member of the Board of the Innocence Project Philippines Network. She has appeared as expert witness in cases involving disputed parentage issues and in relation to criminal cases.  She provided her technical assistance during the formulation of the Rules on DNA Evidence and her opinion on different bills regarding forensic DNA technology. The UP-NSRI DNA Laboratory continues to offer its parentage testing and DNA profiling expertise as part of its commitment to serve the community. The laboratory may be contacted at (63) (2)  9252965, +639189136284 and updnalab@gmail.com.</span></div>
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Advocacy DNA DOH Global News Movers and Shakers Op Ed Policy Forensic DNA technology: A powerful tool for judicial reform

DNA testing is the most powerful tool for human identification. Since its discovery in the mid-1980s, DNA profiling had caused a paradigm ...

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