The Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) online medical consultation service was marred by technical problems after it received overwhelming number of requests from the public during its launch on Wednesday, April 7.
Vice President Leni Robredo apologized for the technical difficulties that delayed the implementation of her office's new initiative dubbed as Bayanihan E-Konsulta.
”Humihingi po kami ng paumanhin sa kaunting technical issues sa Bayanihan E-Konsulta Messenger dala po ng volume of consultations na pumasok (We apologize for the minor technical issues in the Bayanihan E-Konsulta Messenger brought about by the volume of consultations coming in),” she said in a Facebook post.
“Rest assured po na inaayos na ng ating team ngayon (our team is fixing it now),” the vice president added.
Robredo formally launched her latest program via Facebook Live which aims to provide medical assistance for outpatient cases, especially to those who have limited resources and access to doctors.
Its kick-off was supposed to be followed by the actual service that caters to outpatient cases in the so-called “NCR Plus” bubble including Metro Manila and other areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine.
Those who want to avail themselves of the free consultation have to visit the Facebook page of Bayanihan E-Konsulta (@OVPBayanihanEKonsulta), click the “send message” button, and type the words “konsulta” (consult) or “tulong” (help) to start the e-consultation process.
Aside from teleconsult services from volunteer doctors, the page also provides information relevant to needs like testing, quarantine, and other available platforms for medical concerns.
As of Tuesday night, over 2,300 volunteers signed up for the program. The OVP has temporarily put the registration on hold, in order to focus on the onboarding of doctor volunteers and the rollout of the initiative.
The program hopes to answer the calls of many on social media about patients not being able to find a hospital that can accommodate them because the facilities in Metro Manila are full capacity.
The surge in COVID-19 cases is overwhelming hospitals and ordinary patients are having a hard time finding a hospital that can accommodate them. This is despite the fact that the Department of Health maintains the hospital utilization rate in NCR for intensive care units is only around 79 percent.