Globe Telecom’s aggressive network upgrade and expansion is envisioned to bring telemedicine services to more people across the country, particularly those living in far-flung areas who do not have immediate access to licensed medical practitioners.
With only one doctor for every 33,000 Filipinos, telemedicine becomes a viable alternative to the traditional visit to hospitals or clinics. Telemedicine can immediately connect a patient to a doctor whenever they require medical assistance regardless of location, thus, saving time, effort, and money.
“Healthcare needs to be accessible anytime, anywhere. Through telemedicine, we can provide everyone equal access to quality care without any geographic restriction. Globe is bringing telemedicine to anyone who needs it by making our network as pervasive as possible and by deploying the latest network technologies to help us deliver more advanced telehealth services to Filipinos nationwide,” said Cholo Tagaysay, CEO of Global Telehealth, Inc which runs KonsultaMD.
Globe, through its wholly-owned corporate incubator, 917Ventures, operates two telehealth services — KonsultaMD, in partnership with Mexico’s Salud Interactiva; and HealthNow which is powered by Vigos Health, an ACHealth subsidiary.
Both KonsultaMD and HealthNow give the public access to skilled and licensed Filipino doctors who can provide safe medical assessment and advice on basic healthcare and proper medication, issue e-prescriptions, and read laboratory results.
KonsultaMD also provides medical advice via phone for those who are not tech-savvy or those who are budget conscious. However, video consultation is fast gaining ground for both KonsultaMD and HealthNow as it allows the doctors to actually see the patient’s health problem on screen. More telehealth services which utilize online tools are also expected to be introduced as a result of rapid technological advancements.
Thus, with increasing demand for data-driven tools and services, Globe continuously invests billions of dollars to upgrade and improve its network. This year alone, Globe has earmarked USD 1.2 billion in capital expenditure, majority of which goes to network and capacity builds including the rollout of 4G LTE and 5G technology as well as fiber optic cables for better data connectivity, faster speed, bigger capacity, and lower latency.
By helping bring telehealth to every Filipino through infrastructure builds, Globe reaffirms its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, UNSDG No. 3 which ensures healthy lives and promotes well-being for all at all ages; and UNSDG No. 9 on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.
To learn more, visit www.globe.com.ph, https://www.konsulta.md/ and https://healthnow.ph/ .
