SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE — In an effort to continue delivering medical and dental care to its employees during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) came up with another innovation— “Click-nika”, its own online health clinic.
Like the previous process at the SBMA Dispensary where employees consult with doctors who prescribe medications and provide advice on health care, SBMA’s “Click-nika” also dispenses patient care but through videoconferencing.
“This is clinic at one click—a marriage of modern technology and classic doctor’s advice,” said SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma, who witnessed the launch of the telemedicine project by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Group on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
“This is really important because most of those in the health industry are now focused on the fight against Covid-19, and most people are apprehensive about visiting hospitals and clinics because of the risks of virus transmission,” Eisma said.
“Still, there is a need to take care of the health of our employees, and much more so amidst this pandemic. The SBMA Click-nika project not only provides essential health care, but also allows for peace of mind among patients and even medical staff,” she added.
The online clinic is already operational since its launch, said Ronnie Yambao, who is SBMA deputy administrator for health and safety and proponent of the project.
Yambao said the concept has been hatched months ago in the middle of the community quarantine imposed all over the country.
He said the program runs on a simple system, as employees only have to make an appointment through email to [email protected], and state the preferred date of consultation and indicate their Facebook account name.
PHSD personnel will then respond to the email within 24 hours, sending a consent form to be filled out by the patient and sent back through email.
Thereafter, consultation will be done through video call, Yambao explained.
In some demonstration during the project launch, a patient was seen taking his own vital signs and reporting the data to the consulting doctor. Another patient, meanwhile, showed photos of his teeth that need the services of a dentist.
Eisma said that the SBMA Click-nika would especially be useful to employees who have had to work from home either because they are among the elderly age or because they have comorbidities. “These ones are those who require regular check-ups,” she pointed out.
Yambao also said that with this project, the SBMA may yet be the first government agency in Central Luzon to have adopted telemedicine for its employees.
He added that the project may yet expand to encompass other stakeholders in the Subic Bay Freeport once additional manpower and other resources have been set up. (Dante M. Salvaña)