Juan Science, One Nation
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -The first recipient of the Department of Science and Technology’s RxBox in Region 10 has nothing but raves for the versatile multi-purpose diagnostic device.
Rx Box in Brief (photo by Mike Baños, NPN)
“It’s truly a life-saving device especially for our birthing homes and health centers,” said Dr. Siegfried Hector B. Razo, municipal health officer of Kinoguitan, on the sidelines of the National Science & Technology Week 2016 celebration in Region 10 held July 23-26, 2016 at a local restaurant.
The Rural Health Unit of Kinoguitan, Misamis Oriental (RHU-Kinoguitan) is the first recipient of the RxBox which can store and transmit a patient’s data to allow health workers in remote communities to consult with medical specialists in distant urban centers.
Kinoguitan Municipal Health Officer Dr. Siegfried Hector Razo demonstrates the use of the Rx Box with DOST-10 Rx Box Project Asst Laarni Navales during the NSTW 2016 Exhibit at Grand Caprice, Limketkai Center. (photo by Mike Baños, NPN)
“It’s an all-in-one super device complete with 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure monitor, pulse oxymeter to monitor a patient’s oxygen levels and pulse, fetal heart monitor, maternal tocometer, and temperature sensor,” Razo said.
RHU-Kinoguitan is using the RxBox mainly to monitor the health of pregnant women who are about to give birth.
“To tell you a story, we have pregnant patients who are sickly, so the RxBox enables us to monitor the health of both the mother and her baby,” Razo notes. “Since we are just a primary health care facility, it enables us to refer the patient to tertiary hospitals like the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) in Cagayan de Oro where they can access to better medical facilities and health care.”
RxBox has built-in medical sensors for monitoring blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, temperature, assessing the strength of contraction of the mother’s uterus, an electrocardiogram (ECG) and fetal heart monitor. The device is capable of storing and transmitting patient data to allow health workers in remote communities to consult with medical experts in urban areas.
“Now we are better informed if we have to refer a patient to a higher level institution or doctor before anything goes wrong. As a primary health care center, we strengthen our referral system through the RxBox.”
DOST-10 Rx Box Project Asst. Laarni Navales demonstrates the use of the Rx Box onstage during the launch of the device as part of the NSTW 2016 Celebration. (photo by Mike Baños, NPN)
So far, the DOST has programmed 1,000 RxBoxes for distribution to priority municipalities all over the country. In Northern Mindanao, 65 of 75 applications filed by municipalities have been approved for distribution by September, 2016, according to Engr. Romela Ratilla, RxBox project coordinator for Region 10.
Pending the upgrading of better communications infrastructure, RHU-Kinoguitan has not yet been able to directly link to medical specialists in Cagayan de Oro but expects this to be operationalized as soon as one of the major telecoms players in the region completes the installation and commissioning of its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) system in Northern Mindanao.
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