Testimonials are flooding Vice President Leni Robredo’s Facebook page as her office’s Bayanihan E-Konsulta initiative elicited positive response from the medical community and outpatients that benefited from the newly launched program.
Physician Ofelia M. Samar Sy, a cardiologist from Bicol who is one of the volunteers of the online medical teleconsult service, shared her experience as a volunteer for the program.
“It was a very fulfilling and emotional day to have volunteered in the E-Konsulta Bayanihan program of the OVP. Somehow, the E-Konsulta turned out to be more intimate for me. Something we cannot do during face to face encounter with patients nowadays,” she posted on Facebook while tagging Robredo.
“A safe innovation, a bridge to the hearts of COVID patients during the pandemic. Where can you find a vice president who is really hands-on contacting doctors, doing meeting up to the middle of the night all days of the week?,” she added.
SamarSy said that clinical clerks and interns would do well to volunteer in the program because “they can learn cases and learn from the different doctors by witnessing how doctors interview and manage cases online.”
Another Facebook user with the name Kath Erine commended the initiative because it allowed her to consult with a medical doctor for free remotely. She said she hasn’t been feeling well but was afraid to go to the clinic for fear of contacting the virus.
She decided to check out the Bayanihan E-Konsulta, where she was able to consult with a doctor and get her prescription. Erine said that the following day, she received a text from the team confirming her address.
After 30 minutes, she received her COVID-19 Care Kit for free. The kit includes a thermometer, pulse oximeter, face masks, basic medications, sanitizer, garbage bags, and a monitoring sheet, among others.
“Thank you, Vice President of the Philippines, Madam Leni Gerona Robredo for the big help, the efforts, the actions, the care and passion to serve and provide for the Filipino people since Day 1 of this pandemic or even before the pandemic. Thank you Lord for using people in extending help during this hard times (heart emoji),” Erine posted.
Erine called on her friends in Metro Manila to check the Bayanihan E-Konsulta page if they need to consult with a doctor but are afraid to go to the clinic personally. She included photos of her prescription and the content of the COVID-19 Care Kit in her post.
The Bayanihan E-Konsulta initiative, which aims to decongest hospitals and make medical advice accessible to those without access, was launched last week via its official Facebook page.
Those who want a free medical teleconsultation need to go to the official Facebook, click “send message,” and answer the queries.
The volunteer operators will link the patients to some 500 volunteer doctors who signed up for the OVP’s initiative.