The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is targeting to distribute 1,000 units of RxBox telehealth device to far-flung and rural areas in the country.
This was disclosed by DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña during his weekly report on Friday, Aug. 6.
“The DOST-Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon)-led RxBox Project targets to deploy 1,000 RxBox units to different communities, especially those in far-flung and rural areas, in the country,” he said.
De la Peña said the DOST-Calabarzon also conducted a training on the operations and troubleshooting of the previously deployed RxBox units to four health workers at the Pagamutang Bayan in Carmona, Cavite on July 13.
He noted that DOST VII (Central Visayas) also initiated a similar training for the Rural Health Units of Bantayan, Sta. Fe, and Madrilejos, Cebu on July 7 to 8.
RxBox was repurposed by the agency to benefit the country’s medical frontliners.
“The RxBox is a multi-use telemedicine device that can monitor a patient’s vital signs (temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation), and act as an electrocardiogram and tocometer sensor,” de la Peña said.
De la Peña said with the RxBox, the health workers would be able to monitor their patients without getting near them.
In February, DOST-Calabarzon deployed six “RxBoxes” to The Medical City - Sta. Rosa in Laguna. It also conducted a three-day remote end-user training for health workers from the intensive care and emergency units of the hospital to brief them on how to use the biomedical device.