TAGBILARAN, Bohol - Health-wise, preventing unnecessary deaths is the ideal scenario every medical facility aims to attain and in the rural health setting, the Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) RxBox is just doing that. According to physician Mark Johnuel Duavis, in a fifth-class municipality like Batuan in Bohol, it's common for the elderly to experience chest pains and it's imperative for Duavis to diagnose a patient within at least 30 minutes and give them the proper medication in three to four hours. As a designated doctor to the barrio (DTTB) under the Department of Health (DOH), he considers the RxBox as a huge help in deterring unnecessary mortalities. He even called it "revolutionary" in a primary care setting, being a game-changer in how they manage the facility since specialist care which is in Tagbilaran, is two hours away from Batuan. "May mga mamamatay talaga in between that period na hindi natin alam kung ano talaga yung condition ng patient (Someone can really die in that period where we cannot identify the condition of the patient)," he told reporters. He also shared that they were able to assist a pregnant patient who was hypertensive and gave her initial management because the device has built-in medical sensors for monitoring blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, assessing the strength of contraction of the mother’s uterus, and can conduct a cardiotocography for a fetal heart monitor. Duavis explained how the RxBox helps them determine if a patient needs tertiary care or if the condition can be managed at home since the device can provide electrocardiogram (ECG) readings. RxBox is an innovation developed by researchers from the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila and UP Diliman with support from the DOST through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD). It is a multi-component biomedical device capable of measuring a patient’s temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, uterine contractions, and ECG readings. DOST said that it was specifically designed to facilitate the identification of patients needing control of chronic non-communicable diseases and to support maternal and child health care in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs).

An integrated device

How is this better than the separate medical machines? According to Luis Sison, Center Lead at UP Sustaining Collaboration in an Advanced Learning Environment (UPSCALE) Innovation Hub, what the RxBox may lack in terms of sophistication compared to some of its high-end commercial counterparts, it more than makes up for it in terms of integration. "The data is integrated in a way that facilitates diagnosis by the physicians and the midwifes para mabilis maitransmit compared to some of its high-end commercial counterparts na hiwa-hiwalay pa," he explained in a press conference. If devices would be bought individually, it can cost nearly P1 million compared to the cost of a single RxBox system which was initially packaged at P100,000. DOST-Calabarzon Regional Director Emelita Bagsit who led the RxBox 1,000 Roll-out Project, disclosed that they have spent P178.4 million on the project for the past seven years. On Thursday, March 2, they announced that they have distributed 1,000 units across the country.

Establishing connection

Through its ability to transmit data, DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Jaime Montoya said that from a specialist's perspective, with specialists usually in the city, if ever a patient would require their care, the RHU can turn to the RxBox. "Memory recorder yan at iyon [data] ang i-transmit sa isang doktor sa isang malayong lugar at siya ang magsasabi kung ano ang gagawin (It's a memory recorder and the [data] can be transmitted to a doctor in a far place who can instruct them what should be done)," he explained. “If there is a technology that really benefits the Filipino people, this is it. The RxBox really captures the concept of Universal Health Care (UHC). This is what science is for,” he said. This is a special feature of the RxBox built for RHUs. According to DOST, once the data is acquired by the sensors, it can be transmitted to a specialist as the need arises and upon the patient's consent. This allows health workers in remote areas to consult medical experts in urban areas.

Commercialization and accessibility

DOST Secretary Renato Solidum joined the recently-concluded RxBox 1000: Summit 2023 with the theme “Smarter Healthcare, Healthier Communities” held in Tagbilaran City, Boho. There, he highlighted the significance of showing that devices such as the RxBox are useful. "Pero kailangan uli na bigyan natin ng idea na for every technology that we produce, they should be made affordable," he said during the press conference. For Montoya, he said that the dream is for every Filipino to have access to this technology which is at the barangay level. With the UHC reforms, Dr. Portia Grace Marcelo of the National Telehealth Center believes that this should be made accessible to everyone. She envisions the use of the RxBox as a remote monitoring device at home, an idea that was stirred as well because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In terms of development, she stated that this should be part of the pipeline of R&D up to its commercialization.