DOH-Mimaropa uses ‘telemedicine’

THE Department of Health’s - gion 4A) is using “Telemedicine” in assessing the health of people believed to have been exposed to residues of mine tailings left mining disaster.

Rowena Garcia, said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday that Telemedicine, or the use of telecommunications to diagnose and treat patients in remote areas, has been applied to residents

“We are establishing data [ to see] if we can trace some of the [patients’] conditions to heavy metals. We’re also having health-risk assessment to see the [effect of] exposure to heavy metals through the years,” said Garcia.

She said these patients could have been exposed to six heavy metals found in their environment—lead, mercury, copper, arsenic, cadmium and chromium —possibly remnants of the mining disaster, wherein 1.6 million cubic meters of tailings from - river system, rendering it unusable and affecting people who depended on it for their livelihood. Residents also developed skin irritations and respiratory problems.

House-to-house visitations

To track the patients, barangay (village) health workers have been mobilized to conduct house-to-house visitations.

Through Telemedicine, patients and attending physicians at the Dr. Damian Reyes Provincial Hospital in Boac were able to consult ex real-time diagnosis and treatment.

Two patients, who are suspected of having been exposed to chromium, copper, zinc and mercury, were among those diagnosed in the Telemedicine conference.

One of the patients, 63-year-old Tabigue in Boac, has for years been suffering from itchy skin and black spots have appeared on his left foot.

- stantly immersed in a river where he was working in the construction of a bridge. He also said that his exposure to the river continued when

Having no money to see a doctor condition, he said that for several years, he simply relied on soap and water to ease the severe itchiness.

“I was just washing the itchy area said, adding that he could not also afford to buy medicine.

In his old age, he also has to deal with chronic coughing and other diseases.

“I shouldn’t be suffering from these illnesses,” he said, noting that helpless residents like him would not be suffering had they not been exposed to the river.

His daughter, Rea Ramonte, 33, said his uncle had the same condition before he died a year ago.

Ramonte said that so far, other members of their family have not suffered the same fate.

“I have forbidden my children from swimming in that river,” she said.

- dolfo Jalimbawa, also of Tabigue, has the same black spots at the soles of his feet.

a toxicology nurse at the Dr. Damian Reyes Provincial Hospital, a total of - pog and Tabigue were scheduled to be interviewed that day through a Telemedicine conference.

Based on results of laboratory February 27, at least two patients tested positive for heavy metal poisoning,

Follow-up assessments, to be done in cooperation with the - October 25-26, will cover possible patients residing in barangays Lupac, Catubugan,

Under an agreement with DOH for patients suffering from heavy metal poisoning for free, while