PHILIPPINES’ WELLNESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

IN THIS DAY and age, technology has been a powerful ally for the health care industry. Those in this sector harness latest innovations not only to discover cures but to also advance their services to provide better patient care.

Apart from medical breakthroughs and state- of- the- art equipment, accessibility not only to medical attention but also to information, is vital in providing health care solutions.

Nowadays, access to information is as easy as one click away. This is evident with the proliferation of mobile applications that aims to educate the public on various medical concepts and health issues. Health care providers also extend the conversations about health beyond the walls of medical facilities through various digital formats like online publications and social media engagement.

Services are also made easy through electronic platforms that enable patients to make an appointment with a clinic, check laboratory results, reserve hospital rooms, pay hospital bills, order medicine and let it be delivered right at their doorstep, and even consult their doctors using mobile phones.

In the local setting, while a number of hospitals and health care providers are equipped with up- to- date facilities, some, especially in rural areas, still lack the necessary means to address the needs of a patient.

As part of the government’s goal to address these issues and further advance the quality of health care in the country, different government agencies such as the Department of Health ( DoH) and the Department of Science and Technology ( DoST) spearheaded projects that encourage the inclusion of innovative technology in hospitals and other health care facilities especially in different local government units.

A notable project in the country is the establishment of the National Telehealth Center ( NTHC), a center mandated to