SINCE it was launched in 2016, the telepsychiatry program of the JR Borja General Hospital (JRBGH) has noted a significant increase in the number of patients despite its limited budget.
Records show that from January to December 2017, a total of 131 patients have availed the telepsychiatry program, where psychiatric assessment and attention is provided through telecommunications and video conferencing.
From January to September this year, outpatients have already reached 365.
Psychiatric physician Dr. Reagan Villanueva of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City said these patients not only come from Cagayan de Oro, but also from other regions in Mindanao.
Villanueva is helping the city in its mental health program by agreeing to this unique setup in treating patients -- video calling them.
Before this program was launched, the city used to ferry mentally-ill patients in a bus from Cagayan de Oro to Davao but this did not last long, because it became challenging to manage the patients inside the vehicle and traveling for about 6 hours to Davao.
The next option was for Villanueva to travel to Cagayan de Oro, but the travel time also became a challenge for the doctor, prompting them to start the telepsychiatry program instead.
"We are meeting halfway the patients through this online program. Of course we also know that the actual check-up is better, but this program has actually no budget, there is no telemedicine yet under the Department of Health, so we have to settle with this kind of set up," Villanueva said.
"Mayor Moreno is the one who really is persistent that we should have this program. This is an outside of the box kind of program, the JR Borja has actually a futuristic perspective and they have an advanced vision in providing quality mental health services to the people," he added.
After Cagayan de Oro, Villanueva said Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Mati, and even Jolo, Sulu wants to adopt the program. He however said internet speed is vital for the telepsychiatry program to work.
Currently, JR Borja General Hospital caters to an average of 1 to 2 mentally-ill patients everyday.
The City Government is currently in the process of building its own mental health facility. In the meantime, it is housing mentally-ill patients who need focused intervention at the Residential Care for Elderly and Differently-Abled Center located within the city hospital vicinity.