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A volunteer resident (sitting at the table side) of Ubay, Bohol, undergoes a clinical test using the RxBox device as RxBox project staff, Cham Gomez of DOST 7 (in yellow shirt, attending to the volunteer) demonstrates the functional uses and applications of the device before the audience. Assisting Gomez is Ronya Mae Bayan (standing behind the volunteer), DOST science research specialist. Watching the demonstration with the audience are (sitting at the front row from left to right) DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, Representative and House science and technology committee Chairman Erico Aristotle Aumentado, and Representative Mark Aeron Sambar, member of House appropriations committee.
A volunteer resident (sitting at the table side) of Ubay, Bohol, undergoes a clinical test using the RxBox device as RxBox project staff, Cham Gomez of DOST 7 (in yellow shirt, attending to the volunteer) demonstrates the functional uses and applications of the device before the audience. John Mark Ferrer, RxBox training coordinator in Region 7, spells out the importance of telemedicine program and one of its components, the Rxbox project, to the audience at the Ubay National High School in Ubay, Bohol.

John Mark Ferrer, RxBox project coordinator in Region 7, spells out the importance of telemedicine program and one of its components, the Rxbox project, to the audience at the Ubay National High School in Ubay, Bohol. The project is undertaken through the collaborative efforts of the University of the Philippines Manila – National Telehealth Center (UP-NTHC), University of the Philippines Diliman – College of Engineering, DOST - Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
Watching the demonstration with the audience are (sitting at the front row from left to right) DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, Representative and House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Erico Aristotle Aumentado, and Representative Mark Aeron Sambar, member of House Appropriations Committee. The project is undertaken through the collaborative efforts of the University of the Philippines Manila – National Telehealth Center (UP-NTHC), University of the Philippines Diliman – College of Engineering, DOST – Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Disadvantaged rural folk of far-flung towns in Bohol will soon be able to avail themselves of better health services through the RxBox, a health care program which utilizes the benefits of modern information and communication technology for health care purposes.

Through the RxBox project, health workers are enabled to provide a broader range of health services to underprivileged townsfolk in impoverished communities with the use of telemedicine component system which includes the RxBox, an electronic diagnostic device that has combined functions of sphygmomanometer, electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiotocograph (CTG), temperature sensor, pulse oxymeter, fetal heart monitor, and maternal tacometer.

The RxBox distribution in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) is part of the collaborative telemedicine project undertaken by the University of the Philippines Manila – National Telehealth Center (UP-NTHC), University of the Philippines Diliman – College of Engineering, DOST – Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Also a vital component of the RxBox program is the Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) which provides electronic medical records of individual patients’ cases. It also serves as a link between clinical specialist in hospitals and primary health care workers in rural areas, thus providing better patient care in remote communities in a way that eliminates the need for costly travels and hospitalizations.

The RxBox was presented  in Ubay National Science High School of Ubay town, Bohol, during a project visit last week by DOST top officials led by DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and  and the members of the Congressional Committee on Science and Technology (S&T) led by S&T Committee Chair, Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado.

A demonstration of RxBox functions and tele-medical applications was performed by the RxBox team in Region 7 composed of project staff members Cham Gomez, Ronya Mae Bayan of DOST 7 and John Mark Ferrer, training coordinator.

The well-attended demonstration was also witnessed by Ubay town, barangay, and public school officials, as well as faculty members, students, and parents in the municipality.

The project visit was in connection with the public hearing conducted in Bohol on House Bill No. 1205, a proposed law upgrading the capability of the science and technology office in the provinces.

Aside from Ubay, the other Bohol towns that have qualified as beneficiaries of the RxBox program are Alicia, Anda, Antequera, Balilihan, Btuan, Bilar, Buenavista, Vien Unido, Calape, Carmen, Catigbian, Clarin Dauis, Dimiao, Garcia Hernandez, Getafe, Guindulman, Inabanga, Lila, Mabini, Maribojoic, Panglao, PIlar, Pres. CPGm Sagbayan, San Isidro, Talibon, Trinidad, and Valencia.

 

Written by: Licinio Gingoyon