International telemedicine provider Medgate saw a 170% increase in local teleconsultations last year when people are prevented to go out to curb the spread of COVID-19. Even with the surge, the telemedicine platform said that it was able to maintain an 80% case resolution rate.

“This means all cases handled are treated entirely through telemedicine,” it said in a media release.

As the Philippines continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19, telemedicine has paved a way forward to improve the country’s current healthcare system and reduce the load of the healthcare professionals tasked with managing them.

Pushing telemedicine into the mainstream in the Philippines

Healthcare orgs must secure networks when practicing telemedicine

“As the health landscape continues to evolve, so too must our ways of delivering quality healthcare solutions,” said Stavros Athanasiou, president of Medgate Philippines. “By understanding the changing behaviors of Filipinos, especially when it comes to the use of technology, we will continue to improve our services to focus on delivering a telehealth experience that prioritizes patients at every point of care.”

Partnerships

To reach more people in need, Medgate partnered with the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to deliver free telemedicine services and to provide patients with alternative treatment options to ease hospital occupancy and help curb the spread of COVID-19.

“With travel and movement restrictions in place, our capabilities, resources, and partnerships have enabled us to provide healthcare solutions to people in need across the country,” said Athanasiou. “Our high case resolution rate is proof of telemedicine’s efficiency as a platform for delivering quality care. With the majority of our patient concerns handled through teleconsultations, our services show that a true doctor-patient connection can be established through telehealth.”

According to Medgate, it was able to meet the sudden surge in demand through a 24/7 tele-treatment program that connects patients to licensed specialist doctors, provides e-prescriptions, laboratory requests, and certificate of medical teleconsultation, and facilitates medicine delivery. Patient concerns were handled through a medical co-management approach where doctors are able to collaborate to establish a diagnosis and provide the best possible treatment.

Medgate Philippines has been operating since 2016 and caters to over 1.5 million Filipinos who are members of Medgate’s partners in the banking, health, and insurance industries. Medgate has been in the telemedicine industry since 1998 and has handled over 11 million consultations globally. Medgate has a global presence in India, the Middle East, the Philippines, and Switzerland.