Boosting telemedicine efforts eyed to address rise in COVID deaths
Telemedicine | Pexels Photo by Anna Shvets
CEBU CITY, Philippines – In order to stem the rise of COVID-related deaths here, local officials are urging residents to utilize existing telemedicine initiatives.
Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera on Monday, August 23, 2021, said the city government is now coordinating with Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) to boost the latter’s telemedicine efforts called TeleGaBAI.
Garganera, who heads the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said mortalities due to COVID-19 have already reached 195 for the month of August alone.
“Naa na tay TeleGaBAI nga mga PGI (Post Graduate Internship) na sila sa mga hospitals and then pwede na nato ma-refer sila bisag og naa sila sa balay. They will advice medically unsay pagabuhaton,” said Garganera.
The councilor said they are also looking at telemedicine programs to help COVID-19 patients who prefer to isolate themselves in their own houses as hospital beds remain scarce.
Cebu City is still experiencing a surge in new COVID infections, of which around 70 percent of the recently infected patients, according to the EOC, were symptomatic.
The city has been placed under a stricter Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until August 31.
/bmjo
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