Medical experts on Thursday said the Philippines has grown into a prime hub for health mis- and disinformation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “The Philippines has the highest rate of misinformation and the highest rate of beliefs in conspiracy theories,” medical anthropologist Dr. Michael Tan said in his opening message during…
MANILA (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Over the past year, we have seen telemedicine-i.e., the use of telecommunications technologies for different aspects of health care-become a regular feature of medical practice in the country, as Covid-19 cut off face-to-face consultations.
Once a novelty conceived for distant communities or reserved for individuals unable to leave their homes, it has become the first point of encounter between doctors and patients; once a fringe pursuit and even a frowned-upon terrain, the internet has now become an even more essential domain in clinical medicine.
This is a welcome development. Actually, this is where we had been heading anyway as a society; the pandemic only served as a turning point. This digital exodus holds the potential to enhance health literacy and, more importantly, make health care accessible to their patients by bridging geographic, socioeconomic, and physical barriers to care. It also allows doctors to continue thei