Telehealth is the delivery of health related services and information via telecommunications technology. It encompasses the preventive, promotive, curative, and palliative aspects of health care.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the use of Information and Communications Technology to deliver medical services and information across a distance as an accepted approach in addressing problems of uneven provider distribution and discontinuous and inequitable health system development.
The National eHealth Strategic Framework, 2010-2016, recognizes the need to capitalize on ICT to reach and provide better health services to Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas, support the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, and dissemination of information to citizens and providers (Telehealth/mHealth service).
The use of telehealth in the country will help the Philippine health care system in reducing costs, providing more efficient and high quality care to its citizens especially to those living in far-flung areas.
With regards to this, House Bill No. 6336, was passed for the Telehealth Act of 2012, which would serve as an act promulgating a comprehensive policy for a national system for telehealth service in the Philippines. It shall provide a policy framework and establish a National Telehealth System that will govern the practice and development of telehealth in the country.
The Bill has a total of 14 sections and covers the objectives and policy up to the financing aspect.
However, the bill does not provide clear guidelines on how the Executive Director of the National Telehealth Reference Center (NTRC) will be chosen and what are the credentials needed to be chosen as the Executive Director of the NTRC.
Since the National Telehealth Reference Center will serve as the secretariat of the National Telehealth Board, it will be much likely involved in the formulation, promulgation, and implementation of most (if not all) of the activities involved with telehealth in the country. Yes, there is still a National Telehealth Board, but much of the work will be done by the NTRC.
As per the proposed telehealth act, the NTRC will be responsible for the development of accreditation mechanisms for telehealth and telehealth systems, maintenance of national databases and case registries, as well as training and assistance, and continuing education of telehealth practitioners, the Executive Director should be someone who has experience or expertise in the field of health/medicine, technology/health informatics, and law.
With the large tasks given to the NTRC, appointing someone who is not well-inclined in the 3 fields as stated above, cannot provide adequate inputs and enforce appropriate guidelines for the implementation of telehealth. And since most parts in the proposed bill for the Telehealth Act pretty much depend on rules and regulations to be set by the NTRC and the Board, it is vital for the system to have someone on board who is aware and knowledgeable of the technicalities in health/medicine, technology/health informatics, and law.
Stipulating criteria for the Executive Director of the National Telehealth Reference Center can be a big step in ensuring that the establishment of telehealth in the country will be well-guided, well-established and of high standard.
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