The city government is coming up with a modified Bantay Covid digital platform where volunteer medical doctors from the private sector can interact with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients who are under home quarantine.
The system is spearheaded by the Health Services Office (HSO) in collaboration with the Management Information and Technology Division and the Baguio-Benguet Medical Society.
In the virtual management committee meeting, October 12, of city officials, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the system will lessen the burden of government medical professionals who are currently being overwhelmed and are multi-tasking in caring for Covid19 patients, most of whom are under home quarantine.
“The system will allow those who are under home quarantine to interact with doctors and feel the concern of local government. It will also act as a monitoring device that will check on their progress and gathering of appropriate data,” he said.
Earlier, the Mayor gave his approval for the free digital platform and said that it should be set up at the soonest possible time since this will be very beneficial for patients who are home quarantined.
“This innovative project is a perfect example of ‘volunteerism’ and the ‘bayanihan spirit’ at work,” he said.
HSO head Dr. Rowena Galpo said the endeavor is timely since about 80 percent, or around 3,000, of the city’s Covid-19 patients are under home isolation and most are entire families.
The planned project is patterned after the ongoing ‘BANTAI COVID’ program of Quezon City where volunteer doctors, thru digital technology, communicate with home quarantined infected individuals in their locality. It will be modified to fit the needs of Baguio’s residents, she said.
To further bolster the city’s monitoring system, barangays are tasked to monitor patients in their areas thru their Barangay Health and Emergency Response Teams (BHERTS) using templates provided them by the City Mayor’s Office’s Special Services Division.
Baguio eyes better coordination of Covid cases
The city is currently working on an AppSheet that will be shared by the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Baguio One Hospital Command Center (BOHCC) to synchronize the decking and coordination of coronavirus disease 2019 cases in the Summer Capital.
In the virtual management committee meeting, October 12, of local officials headed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Antonette Anaban said the system will be tested in the coming days.
An AppSheet is a no-code development platform that lets anyone without coding experience to build mobile and web applications.
She said the Management Information and Technology Division (MITD) under the supervision of City Mayors Officer Chief of Staff Engr. Felipe Puzon will facilitate the installation of a stable internet connection at the EMS as part of the proposed project.
The move is part of the key result areas of the city’s ongoing Covid-19 Delta contingency plan in its efforts to quell the surge in cases where around 80 percent are under home isolation according to Health Services Office head Dr. Rowena Galpo.
The contingency plan’s key result areas follow the enhanced Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate which include, stricter border control; monitoring of compliance with MPHS in public areas; MPHS implementation in establishments and workplaces; expanded age-based restrictions; limited mass gathering; guidelines in the application, review, examinations by PRC and CSC within the city; promote use of telemedicine/telecommunication; management of the dead; implementation of rolling stores and market-to-home delivery; and vaccination program.
Expanded risk-based/targeted testing; aggressive contact tracing; isolation/quarantine policy and increase in bed capacities; community/granular lockdown; real-time monitoring of critical care utilization; augmentation of health workers; inventory/procurement of critical equipment; stockpiling of critical supplies and medicines; real-time referral and coordination of cases; mental health and wellness programs, are the other key result areas.
-Gaby B. Keith
