A mobile phone-based leprosy teleconsultation system

The Philippines eliminated leprosy at the national level in 1998, seven years after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared its vision of a world free of leprosy.

However, pockets of leprosy cases still exist in some regions, particularly in Ilocos Sur and Southern Mindanao. Over 1,000 leprosy cases are reported in the country annually, according to the Department of Health (DOH). In terms of absolute number of leprosy cases, the Philippines ranks first in the Western Pacific Region.

Gaps in healthcare, particularly in remote rural areas, hinder prompt diagnosis and treatment of leprosy. Moreover, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the continued stigma against people affected by leprosy discourages them from seeking help when first symptoms appear, causing delay in diagnosis and development of disabilities. Many people affected by leprosy are unable to work due to disability caused by the disease or may face stigma that prevents them from working. by local tech company MetaHelix, was adjudged best entry in the Innovative Ideas category. Building on this innovative teledermatology approach, Metahelix with support from the DOH-Novartis Task Force and Philippine Council for Health Research and Development developed the Leprosy Alert and Response Network System (LEARNS), the country’s first mobile phone-based leprosy teleconsultation system.

LEARNS is a mobile health (mHealth) tool that enables healthcare practitioners in remote areas to refer suspected leprosy patients to experts by sending a picture of the skin lesion and patient details through their mobile phone. LEARNS promotes early case finding and helps reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment. Using the LEARNS system, government health workers (physicians, nurses, midwives and barangay health workers) can send teleconsultations via either SMS or the LEARNS application. Aside from case finding, LEARNS also provides data for disease surveillance, reaction and treatment outcome monitoring, message

In celebration of World Leprosy Day 2019, Novartis Healthcare Philippines joined the DOH and RizalMed in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Artistica Leprae art exhibit that aims to promote awareness on leprosy. Photo shows (from left) DOH National Leprosy Control Program manager Dr. Julie Mart C. Rubite; Novartis Healthcare Philippines corporate affairs head Christine Fajardo, RizalMed chief Dr. Relito Saquilayan; chief training officer Dr. Maria Rica M. Lumague; Infectious Dermatology and Leprosy Unit head Dr. Abelaine Venida-Tablizo; DOH senior health program officer Pacita Alano; and Rizal Medical Center Department of Dermatology chair Dr. Francisco Rivera IV