Innovations that could impact rural health care

Innovations in healthcare are often concentrated in urban areas. This left the rural residents facing challenges much bigger than their urban counterparts. Although there’s no accurate data to show differences in healthcare delivery systems between rural and urban communities in the Philippines, health statistics paints a grim picture of healthcare in less urbanized regions of the Philippines.

Residents of rural regions in the Philippines are more impoverished and in worse health than their urban counterpart. Why is this so? The challenges faced by rural residents accessing healthcare facilities is humungous. Healthcare personnel serving rural communities continue to dwindle and are ironically migrating to highly urbanized areas of the country.

Despite these humungous challenges, hope beacons because of some unique qualities inherent in rural communities in the Philippines. These are community traits and characteristics that could inspire innovations in healthcare to work in solving these problems. For example, health stakeholders in rural communities have demonstrated a highly social and collaborative culture. Local resourcefulness is also a main driving factor towards creation of innovative approach to provisions of healthcare- like the highly trained baranggay health care workers.

With such information in mind, help #HealthXPh in finding innovations or technologies that could help us improve healthcare delivery in the rural areas of the Philippines. As a guide, please refer or classify your innovations under any of these categories:

INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE COLLABORATION
INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SHARING
INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Join our chat this coming Saturday November 8, 2014 9PM Manila time as we discuss innovations in healthcare that will impact rural communities.

T1: What innovation(s) in healthcare would apply to health systems in rural Philippines?
T2: In this innovation you suggested, how do you maintain or increase patient engagement?
T3: How would you measure impact of such innovations to healthcare in rural Philippines?

Resources:

Overview of Health Sector Reform in the Philippines and Possible Opportunities For Public-Private Partnerships

http://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/3%20Chapter1.pdf

http://www.wpro.who.int/philippines/areas/health_systems/financing/philippines_health_system_review.pdf

http://www.ictedge.org/wah-ph

http://www.crsprogramquality.org/storage/pubs/health/Health-innovations-microscopy2.pdf

http://www.pids.gov.ph/index2.php?pr=156

Remo Aguilar

Hi, I'm Dr. Remo Aguilar! I am an orthopedic surgeon, healthcare administrator and educator. My writing and speaking interest is in the intersection of healthcare, technology and education.I use all these learning to positively change people lives.

Hi. I’m Dr. Remo Aguilar, an Orthopedic Surgeon, Healthcare Administrator and Educator I write ( and speak ) about improving quality of healthcare systems, processes and infrastructure since 2007. I am an orthopedic surgeon, healthcare administrator and educator. My interest is in the intersection of healthcare, technology and education. I use all these learning to positively change people lives. When I’m not working, I love to travel outdoors- hiking and shooting landscapes whenever, wherever. I’m a hobby badminton player, MTB biker. I run and drink coffee, a lot.