The town of La Libertad in Negros Oriental on Monday launched TeleKonsulta, an online medical consultation for its 21 barangays.
“The pilot testing in the coming days will give us an idea of how efficient this digital platform is for the local government unit to provide our constituents with faster medical services without them having to travel long distance to reach the town center,” said Mary June Villasawa-Enriquez, the town’s public information officer.
To complement this, the LGU has recently launched its free Wi-Fi in the barangays for easy access, she added.
She said they will still determine the number of residents who will avail of the free online consultations.
A team of doctors and health workers will be used for the program.
The 21 barangays benefiting from the program are Aniniaw, Aya, Bagtic, Biga-a, Busilak, Cangabo, Elecia, Eli, Guihob, Kansumandig, Mambulod, Mandapaton, Manghulyawon, Manluminsag, Mapalasan, Nasungan, Pacuan, Pangca, Pitogo, Solongon, and Tala-on.
The medical consultations will be made accessible to rural residents through Facebook/Messenger services where each barangay will have their individual accounts, Villasaw-Enriquez said.
Eight other barangays with main health centers– South Poblacion, North Poblacion, Cantupa, Pisong, San Jose, Martilo, Talayong, and Maragondong– are excluded from the TeleKonsulta Program due to their existing healthcare facilities.
In cases where TeleKonsulta patients require further examinations like laboratory tests, the healthcare professionals will prioritize and facilitate their visit to the Rural Health Unit. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
