A barangay in Pasig City has launched a telemedicine consultation project to help barangay residents get free doctor consultation in their own homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barangay San Antonio (BSA) recently launched its telemedicine consultation project called “BSA Online Doctor Consultation," making it the first barangay in the city to provide free health consultation.
BSA Chairman Raymond Lising said his constituents may avail of the free medical service by clicking: http://bit.ly/BSAONLINECONSULTATION or they may also scan the QR code on the barangay’s Facebook page.
Lising said this program will help decongest hospitals and health centers and eliminate face-to-face interaction between patients and doctors to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“After accessing the link, our residents will have to fill out the online form and provide their basic details to book an appointment with our doctors. They will be asked for their preferred time and date of consultation.” Lising said.
“The BSA health center will contact them through the details they provided— either through their Facebook name or Viber before their schedule. The doctor will call them using the mobile phone of our health center. The patient's prescriptions will be sent by the barangay through Messenger or Viber,” he added.
The telemedicine consultation is available every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
“Due to the surge of COVID-19 in Metro Manila and the threat posed by the Delta variant, it is dangerous for our kabarangays to leave their homes because they might catch the dreaded disease,” Lising said.
“This is why we came up with this project, in order for kabarangays to no longer leave their homes if they want to see a doctor about their medical condition. They don’t have to spend anything because this is for free,” he added.
The chairman said the program will protect doctors from exposure to COVID-19 as well as their patients.