ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 130
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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Telehealth initiatives of a rural community in a developing
country: An experience of a physician with the community
members
Dr Rachel Ann Catague
Philippine Academy of Family Physicians
The COVID-19 pandemic stretched the limit of our healthcare system. Healthcare services were
disrupted. This situation has greatly affected the health of the high-risk population. This scenario
calls for an intervention that could cater to the health needs of the communities in the midst of the
implementation of community quarantine. An ideal set-up will be a setting wherein health workers
and possible patients are not unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19 but still able to provide and receive
appropriate and quality health services accordingly.
The primary objective is to enhance the healthcare service delivery to the vulnerable population.
Continuity of programs and services must be ensured in order to lessen the morbidity and mortality
of other cases while combating COVID-19. Telehealth was one of the proposed solutions by the
community members that can be utilised to ease the pressure on our health service infrastructure. It
may address the need to balance between both COVID-19 concerns and other healthcare needs of
the community residents.
To implement this at the community level, program acceptance, quality, access and cost effectiveness
of the proposed telehealth were evaluated. Barriers were also identified, such as lack of funding, lack
of infrastructure, privacy issues, competing health system priorities and lack of legislation or regulations
covering telehealth programs.
Government and non-government agencies were tapped. A telehealth core committee was created.
Eventually, despite all the limitations, the community people were able create their own telehealth
system in the community. With multisectoral support and collaboration, good leadership and
teamwork, a thriving rural community with limited resources had successfully implemented the project
in order to deliver health services to the people.
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