DR. Roel Cagape may not consider himself technology-literate, but he has found a way to use the technology in making his medical services available to those in remote communities in General Santos City and neighboring towns in the Sarangani Province.
Through electronic health centers set up in the mountains of Sarangani Province, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and General Santos City, the doctor is just “a text away” for the Indigenous Peoples (IP) groups living in these remote areas.
The electronic health center is a combination of an SMS-based communication system called “E-text si Doc” and a bahay kubo or small nipa structure, which houses the ‘Botika Sa Kabukiran’ where free medicines are dispensed.
Under the set-up, a patient in a remote community would text Cagape using the applicable codes printed on a large tarpaulin at the pharmacy.
The use of codes shortens the text message, which saves the sender expense.
Cagape gives his medical advice in text message as well. Any medicines needed are dispensed by a volunteer at the pharmacy, where a cell phone and a solar charger are also available for use. Cagape receives an average of 100 text messages a day.
An active member of the SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City) Peace Network, Cagape is thankful to the partner agencies and organizations as well as charitable individuals who make it possible for him to provide free medical services to communities that do not have access to health services.
Cagape received numerous awards and citations for his work, including the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Award last year.
He was also named a Tapat Summit ambassador last year and the Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Filipino Awards in 2012.
In addition, Cagape’s work on the e-health centers was recently named as one of the 10 winners of payITfwd, the newest social development initiative of Smart Communications Inc. which promotes spreading good deeds through technology. It was chosen from among over a hundred entries received by Smart during the first round of competition.
Cagape received P50,000 cash prize, five tablets with Smart Bro pocket wi-fi and P3,000 worth of load.
“It was very different in the beginning when I had to look for donors and patrons to help fund medicines and logistics needed in the medical missions. Now, they are the ones who contact me,” he said.
After graduating with a doctor’s degree in Family Medicine at the Cebu Institute of Medicine in 1987, Cagape went back to his hometown in General Santos City to give back to his community. He started “Tulong Ko Sa Pasyenteng Pilipino” in 2002.
Activities included, among others, feeding, free consultation, dispensing of medicines, dental consultation and treatment, deworming, circumcision, and distribution of goods such as toothbrush, toothpaste and clothing.
Smart is now accepting entries for the second round of payITfwd.
For more details about the program, check out www.smart.com.ph/payITfwd. /PR
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