By Noreen Jazul As part of its holistic approach in treating persons with COVID-19, the Philippine General Hospital has launched an online communication service for its patients and their respective families. PGH.GOV.PH/ MANILA BULLETIN Called Tele-Kumusta, the service provided by the PGH allows patients to talk and see their families virtually. PGH spokesperson Dr. Jonas Del Rosario said patients are given 15 to 20 minutes to talk to their families using a laptop provided by the hospital. The family members, on the other hand, should have their own gadgets. Dr. Del Rosario said the initiative has been affecting the patients positively. “Makikita mo medyo nag-li-lighten up po ‘yung mukha ng mga pasyente, syempre yung mga relatives din. Kasi iba ‘yung text lang, kaysa sa nakikita mo kung kamusta na ba ang kamag anak mo na naka admit sa hospital (You’ll see the faces of the patients light up, as well as those of their relatives on the other line. It feels different when you’re able to see the actual situation of your relative who is in the hospital, rather than just knowing his or her state through text messages),” Del Rosario told DZMM on April 14, Tuesday. Through the Tele-Kumusta service, Del Rosario said social workers are also able to know the needs of patients and their families. “Kung breadwinner yung pasyente, malalaman na wala ng ganito, wala ng ganyan, pag binaba na po yung connection, yung social worker po namin ang makikipag ugnayan po sa pamilya at gagawan po ng paraan kung anong kailangan idulog sa LGU (Sometimes the relatives of the patients, especially those who are breadwinners, talk about their needs or problems during the conversation, which our social workers find out because they monitor the calls. Afterwards, the social workers will coordinate with the concerned family and will try to address their problems through the help of the local government units),” he said. The Tele-Kumusta service is the brainchild of the hospital’s social workers, according to Del Rosario. The hospital is currently conducting a pilot run of the service with the patients admitted in the COVID-19 charity wards of the hospital. Currently, the hospital only uses one laptop for the service, Del Rosario said.