Mainstreaming telemedicine in the Philippines

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic began, routine doctor visits have become an unnerving task for many patients. This has led to the unusual increase in patients turning to telemedicine services in Asia. In the Philippines, for instance, the number of contactless consultations at KonsultaMD, a 24/7 subscription-based telemedicine service, surged by 450 percent last April.

Telemedicine is defined by the World Health Organization as “the delivery of health care services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health care professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health care providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities.”