The government is focusing more on telemedicine and telehealth services for patients who tested positive for COVID 19 virus, Malacañang said Monday.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said some local government units were already providing medicines for their constituents based on their capacity.
“Here in Metro Manila, you will see most, if not all, of our LGUs have a telemedicine or telehealth hotline. That is the ideal that we want to be replicated in other provinces and cities and that’s what we’re pushing for,” Nograles said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel’s Headstart.
“Let’s focus first on telemedicine, telehealth care and that depends on the budget. The LGUs, can on their own, give their constituents the necessary medicines,” Nograles said.
Nograles then urged LGUs in other areas to also consider providing free telemedicine services and, if possible, COVID-19 home care packages.
Nograles urged LGUs outside Metro Manila to also consider providing free telemedicine services and if possible, COVID-19 home care packages with the start of the implementation of the Supreme Court’s Mandanas ruling expanding local governments’ share in national taxes.
He said LGUs get a big share of the 5.024-trillion national budget for 2022, getting a P959.04 billion share through their National Tax Allotment, formerly called the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), according to the Department of Budget and Management.
The huge increase was due to the implementation of the so-called Mandanas ruling of the Supreme Court, which determined that the “just share” of LGUs shall be sourced from “all national taxes and not only national internal revenue taxes.”
Nograles said it would also be the LGU as well as local health officers to determine whether asymptomatic or mild Covid-19 patients within their localities should isolate at home or be transferred to local isolation facilities.
Meanwhile, Malacañang is hoping to see more local government units providing telemedicine and telehealth services for patients who tested positive for COVID-19.
At the same time, Nograles said it would also be the LGU as well as local health officers to determine whether asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 patients within their localities should isolate at home or be transferred to local isolation facilities.
“We have to entrust to the LGUs the wisdom in their decisions in terms of patient navigation… It will always have to be in consultation with LGUs. But on the ground, it’s LGUs who must be trained, who must be knowledgeable enough to know how to navigate the patients because it’s not a one-size-fits-all rule,” he said.
“They have their own local health officers also and that’s where the coordination between the local health officer and the DOH comes in,” he added.
Currently, DOH COVID-18 Hotlines 1555 and 02-886-505-00 or a list of regional hotlines through bit.ly/OHCCHotline are available nationwide for all COVID-19 related concerns including consultations.
Persons with health concerns may also talk to licensed doctors via call or video call through DOH-vetted third-party telemedicine service
providers at https://bit.ly/DOHTelemedicine.