Globe Telecom Inc.'s aggressive network expansion correspondingly widens its telemedicine services in a nation with just one doctor for every 33,000 Filipinos.
Now, telemedicine becomes a truly viable alternative to traditional visits to hospitals and clinics, stressed Cholo Tagaysay, CEO of Global Telehealth, Inc. which runs the telco's KonsultaMD.
Telemedicine can immediately connect a patient to a doctor even in the remotest areas, saving time, effort, and money.
“Healthcare needs to be accessible anytime, anywhere," he pointed out.
"Through telemedicine, we provide everyone equal access to quality care without any geographic restriction."
Globe brings telemedicine to anyone who needs it by making its network as pervasive as possible and deploying the latest network technologies, according to Tagaysay.
Globe, through its wholly-owned corporate incubator, 917Ventures, operates two telehealth services -- KonsultaMD, in partnership with Mexico’s Salud Interactiva; and HealthNow, powered by Vigos Health, an ACHealth subsidiary.
Both KonsultaMD and HealthNow give the public access to licensed Filipino doctors who provide safe medical assessment and advice on basic healthcare and proper medication, issue e-prescriptions and read laboratory results.
KonsultaMD also provides medical advice via phone for the non tech-savvy or budget conscious.
Interestingly, video consultation is gaining ground for both KonsultaMD and HealthNow because it allows doctors to see the patient’s health problem on screen.
More telehealth services using online tools are expected to be introduced as technologies advance.
With the demand for data-driven tools and services, Globe earmarked US$1.2 billion in capital expenditure for 2020 alone.
Majority of the amount goes to network and capacity builds including the rollout of 4G LTE and 5G technology as well as fiber optic cables for better data connectivity, speed, bigger capacity and lower latency.