Cebu City's telemedicine measure seen passed this year

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon said that there's a big possibility that the telemedicine program of the city will be established within this year.

A public hearing was conducted last week for Dizon’s proposed measure entitled “Telemedicine Services Ordinance in the City of Cebu.”

The Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) and City Health Department (CHD), which will serve as convenors for the measure, have endorsed the proposal, said the councilor. Dizon is hoping the ordinance would be passed by September.

The proposal seeks to form a system of telemedicine services in the CCMC and CHD to maximize the use of technology in healthcare settings to connect health care providers with city residents, especially those who are geographically situated in remote or underserved communities and those who cannot afford the services of a private healthcare institutions but continue to seek life-prolonging maintenance medical services for their illness but suffer from mobility restrictions.

“This measure aims to enhance and promote the people’s right to health through the establishment of telemedicine services in the Cebu City Medical Center and City Health Department to provide for medical consultations to patients who would need quality health care from a distance by certified and licensed doctors,” Dizon said.

It will seek to create and widen patient’s access to health services given the gap or shortage of healthcare professionals and overcome the lack of health facilities especially in remote areas or in unserved or underserved communities.

“The passage and implementation of this ordinance is vital to prepare and equip our health facilities and empower our patients to use telemedicine as a viable health care option for continued access to medical care and support patients in the self-management of their health conditions given the disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic scenario that telemedicine shall become an important part of our new normal,” Dizon said.

As stated in the proposal, the standard for telemedicine practice by the healthcare providers in CCMC and CHD shall be governed by the Department of Health (DOH)-University of the Philippines- Manila Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2000-0001 entitled “Telemedicine Practice Guidelines” issued on June 8, 2020 and the Philippine Medical Association’s “Telemedicine: Guidance for Physicians in the Philippines.”

Also, under the draft ordinance, the city government will support the trainings for medical practitioners in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in health care settings. — JMD (FREEMAN)