Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos expressed hope that a bill establishing a regulatory framework for the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for health would finally be enacted during the 20th Congress.
“The eHealth System and Services bill is a necessary measure that will help provide a safe, cost-effective, secure, and accessible way for the Filipino people to look after their health needs,” said Bernos, author of House Bill No. 3115.
“Maraming hamon ang nakakabit sa pagkuha ng health services. Mahal na pamasahe at matinding trapiko, hindi makaalis sa trabaho o sa bahay, atbp. Kaya malaking tulong sana ang pagpapalawak at pagsasaayos ng eHealth system sa ating bansa upang matugunan ang mga hamong ito,” the lawmaker added.
The eHealth System and Services bill had passed third and final reading in the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress; its counterpart measure in the Senate, however, failed to hurdle committee deliberations.
“There is a clamor for a more modern system that eases the already challenging pursuit of health services in our country.”
According to Bernos, the measure aims to provide the public with effective telehealth services by establishing, institutionalizing, and regulating a coherent, coordinated, and collaborative National eHealth System, guided by a national policy and strategic network.
Bernos explained that telehealth—one of the main components of the proposed eHealth system—can bridge the gap between patients and medical professionals, especially in remote areas where hospitals and specialists are scarce.
She pointed out that “with telehealth, consultations, diagnostics, and follow-ups can be done without the need for long and costly travel. This not only saves time and money, but also ensures that healthcare reaches communities that need it most.”
“As more of our fellow Filipinos avail of telehealth services, we need to ensure that their doing so does not endanger their health and privacy. We want a reliable and interoperable system that will make telehealth a viable option,” she added.
The bill calls for the development and implementation of a health sector enterprise architecture to provide guidance to ensure that data are easily made available and accessible, business processes are harmonized and integrated, and services and applications are usable, safe, efficient, and effective.
The measure also mandates that the design, development, and implementation of eHealth services and applications shall focus on the automation and interoperability of the various mandatory e-health business processes and data services, as laid out in the health sector enterprise architecture.
Bernos highlighted that the eHealth System and Services bill will help streamline and address issues on provision, access, availability, accountability, patient rights, electronic health data, security, and information exchange, among others.
“There is a clamor for a more modern system that eases the already challenging pursuit of health services in our country. This bill recognizes the demand among our people for the health system to keep up with the times, that is why I sincerely hope that this proposal will finally be turned into law.”
