The National Telehealth Center of the UP-Manila- National-Institutes of Health partnered with the Provincial Government of Batanes on a Telehealth Program. This program seeks to connect the doctors of Batanes to each other and to specialists from the Philippine General Hospital. Dr. HR Aujero of the National Telehealth Center was sent to Batanes on a three-month stint to 
implement the project. The Governor, LGU heads, local doctors, nurses, and health workers have been oriented to the project and have given their full support.
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implement the project. The Governor, LGU heads, local doctors, nurses, and health workers have been oriented to the project and have given their full support.The program has three main components: telemedicine, continuing professional education, and establishing an electronic health records for RHUs. Telemedicine is simply providing healthcare to patients from a remote location. Doctors and selected nurses of Batanes General Hospital, the Provincial Health Office, the Municipality of Uyugan and the hospitals in the islands of Itbayat (Itbayat District Hospital) and Sabtang (Sabtang Community Hospital) have been trained on how to present patients through videoconferencing and how to take pictures of X-ray plates and dermatologic lesions. A number of patients' x-ray plates have been referred to the Philippine General Hospital for official reading of a radiologist. And slides have also been sent to Manila to be read by a pathologist. Other avenues that have been utilized include SMS, and MMS. The latter has been very helpful for dermatology materials.
It is also
the program's goals to improve the knowledge and skills of the other health workers such as the midwives and barangay health workers. Video presentations have been produced by the National Telehealth Center in cooperation with USAID and the UP Open University's Multimedia Center for these front line healthworkers. Each session consists of a video presentation and is followed by an open forum with a specialist on the topic from the Philippine General Hospital. Two sessions have been held in the province. The first in the island municipality of Itbayat on household poisoning with Dr. Laura Aguinaldo. A session on stroke with Dr. Paul Pasco was held in the Provincial Health Office in Basco.
The last component is the utilization of the Community Health Information Tracking System, an electronic health record for Rural Health Units. This customizable, user friendly software is free, thus lowering costs for the LGUs. Pilot sites for CHITS are municipalities of Basco and Uyugan and the provincial health office. Mr Alison Perez Senior Programmer of the UP College of Medicine’s Medical Informatics Unit came to Batanes to install CHITS in the pilot sites and train the health workers on its use.
On May 16, 2008, National Telehealth Center Field Operations Coordinator Dr. Hypte Raymund V. Aujero presented to the Governor, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for Health, and the Provincial Health Office the
milestones of the program. NThC Director Alvin Marcelo, MD, FPCS, was able to send his message via video through the internet. The Governor and other officials expressed their appreciation to the National Telehealth Center fo
r reaching out the remote province of Batanes, specially by sending a lone representative to implement the Telehealth program and live among the Ivatans, Isabtangs, and Itbayats for three months. Both the Province and NThC look forward to continuing the partnership.
It is also
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the program's goals to improve the knowledge and skills of the other health workers such as the midwives and barangay health workers. Video presentations have been produced by the National Telehealth Center in cooperation with USAID and the UP Open University's Multimedia Center for these front line healthworkers. Each session consists of a video presentation and is followed by an open forum with a specialist on the topic from the Philippine General Hospital. Two sessions have been held in the province. The first in the island municipality of Itbayat on household poisoning with Dr. Laura Aguinaldo. A session on stroke with Dr. Paul Pasco was held in the Provincial Health Office in Basco.The last component is the utilization of the Community Health Information Tracking System, an electronic health record for Rural Health Units. This customizable, user friendly software is free, thus lowering costs for the LGUs. Pilot sites for CHITS are municipalities of Basco and Uyugan and the provincial health office. Mr Alison Perez Senior Programmer of the UP College of Medicine’s Medical Informatics Unit came to Batanes to install CHITS in the pilot sites and train the health workers on its use.
On May 16, 2008, National Telehealth Center Field Operations Coordinator Dr. Hypte Raymund V. Aujero presented to the Governor, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for Health, and the Provincial Health Office the
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milestones of the program. NThC Director Alvin Marcelo, MD, FPCS, was able to send his message via video through the internet. The Governor and other officials expressed their appreciation to the National Telehealth Center fo.jpg)
r reaching out the remote province of Batanes, specially by sending a lone representative to implement the Telehealth program and live among the Ivatans, Isabtangs, and Itbayats for three months. Both the Province and NThC look forward to continuing the partnership.
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