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AMID the Covid-19 pandemic, access to healthcare has become limited for people quarantined in their homes. To provide convenient access to medical consultations without need of physically visiting health centers, the local government of Liloan has partnered with Xynapx Technologies, a local medical software startup that developed CloudPx and CloudMD, which provides online telemedicine and e-consultation services from doctors and medical professionals, and medical records management.
The partnership between Liloan and Xynapx, termed GugMed, will help connect people online with doctors for their Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 related medical queries. Without need of going out of their homes, people can communicate with doctors through video conferencing and chatting. Coined from the words Gugma, the Cebuano word for love, and Medisina, the Cebuano word for Medicine, GugMed is a free service for residents of Liloan.
The local government of Liloan is paying for Liloan Community Medical Emergency Services Center doctors and medical consultants that will be available online for consultations, while Xynapx has extended the use of their software for free the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic. Users may also opt to access doctors outside of Liloan who are signed up to the software, and it will be up to the doctor to bill for fees, if any.
Apart from free online medical consultations, GugMed will also provide the option of shifting to online monitoring for Persons under Monitoring (PUMs). Currently, Barangay Health Workers and Municipal Health Workers of the Local Government have to physically go house-to-house to check the temperatures of PUMs twice a day, increasing risk of exposure to frontliners. With GugMed, PUMs may now go online to enter their temperatures and vital statistics, and report symptoms, if any, subject to follow ups by health personnel to ensure accuracy and compliance. Close monitoring of individuals under suspicion of Covid-19 will still continue while observing Department of Health protocols.
At the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Local Government of Liloan and Xynapx, Mayor Christina Frasco said, “Faced with this global pandemic that has caused worry and fear in our communities, we aim to give people in quarantine hope and healthcare, while also giving priority and protection for our frontliners, and ensuring that our health centers are not overwhelmed. I am grateful for this partnership with Xynapx founded by well-meaning Cebuanos who have stepped up to help their fellow Cebuanos in this time of need.”
John Jay Yuvallos, president and CEO of Xynapx Technologies, said: "This initiative provides a facility for doctors to continue consults with patients while still observing social distancing. Through this service, we ease the minds of people with medical conditions who need to stay home." COO Rich Arnold Tuadles said their immediate objective is to expand the access of healthcare to every Filipino affected by Covid-19 including those with non-Covid medical conditions and to consolidate data that will aid government agencies to proactively identify critical issues before they occur.
To register or log in to the medical consultation service, patients can go to econsult.cloudmd.com.ph while doctors can register at cloudmd.com.ph.
Since the start of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, Liloan has gained national recognition for its Covid-19 related efforts, from its Keep Calm Food Kits forming a Philippine Flag that went viral as a symbol of the country’s fighting spirit, and with Mayor Christina Frasco recently being cited as one of the ten mayors in the Philippines for her efforts in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. (PR) - ph.news.Yahoo.com