Baguio sets up free online health care for residents under quarantine

Baguio City, Philippines – Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city government is preparing its Bantay Covid, a telemedicine digital platform that offers free clinical health care for quarantined individuals as the city expects an inevitable rise in Covid-19 cases.

In his media forum on Jan. 11, Magalong said the digital application was patterned after the current program of Quezon City in dealing with their COVID-19 patients who are under home quarantine. He said the platform will be manned by trained health professionals whom COVID-19 patients can communicate remotely.

“The system will allow those who are under home quarantine to interact with doctors and feel the concern of local government and will also act as a monitoring device that will check on their progress and gathering of appropriate data,” Magalong said.

The mayor said the telemedicine program was made possible through the active participation of several offices and medical organizations such as the Health Services Office, the City Mayor’s Office’s Management Information and Technology Division, and the Baguio-Benguet Medical Society.

The mayor also expressed his joy over many doctors who volunteered for the program.

“What’s nice about this is that many doctors have already volunteered for the program, and more are willing to join as part of their community social responsibility. This is a perfect example of ‘volunteerism’ and the ‘bayanihan spirit’ at work,” the mayor stressed.

Magalong, as reported by the Public Information Office-Baguio City, said that as they expect a surge in cases amid the more transmissible Omicron COVID-19 variant which is expected to overwhelm the city’s isolation and quarantine facilities, home quarantine for COVID-19 patients who are experiencing mild and moderate symptoms will be maximized.

Magalong added that patients under home quarantine, through the telemedicine application, will be able to avail of consultation from medical professionals.

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