In today’s highly congested smartphone market, is the Philippines ready for mHealth (mobile health) services? That’s the question KosultaMD is trying to answer upon jumpstarting this new platform of “telehealth” services in the country. For the uninitiated, KonsultaMD is a 24/7 health hotline service which could provide medical assessment, general health information, basic health care, health advice and permissible medication over the phone.
Though
this service is manned by licensed physicians, KonsultaMD still strongly
believes that this could never replace the face-to-face consultation. It is
tagging its service as a “Health Hotline” which technically implies that it is
just an alternative to conventional medication procedures. KonsultaMD is under
Global Telehealth, Inc., which is an affiliate of Globe Telecom and Mexico’s
Salud Interactiva.
Why
would you use this service?
In
the current digital age, the company sees the need of a basic health service
through doctor-and-patient voice communication. Knowing that everyone owns a
phone, it is a great deal to address health issues or queries immediately. The
three main points that this service tries to sell are:
- Accessibility – You can call a licensed doctor anytime you want. Whatever your reasons for calling, it is a breath of fresh air to know that you can get help 24/7.
- Time – There’s no long lines in a doctor’s clinic anymore. Thus, you can immediately get health advice by an equally licensed physician.
- Affordability – Calling KonsultaMD is very affordable. You don't need to worry about physician's fee. There are cheap subscription plans in the service and call rate is only Php 1 per minute.
How
to subscribe to KonsultaMD?
This
is open to Globe and TM subscribers. Globe Postpaid subscribers can avail of
the service for Php 150 a month. This plan can be extended to four family
members. Globe Prepaid and TM users can choose among Php 15 a week, Php 60 a month,
Php 120 for two months and Php 180 per quarter plans.
The
service also upholds doctor-and-patient confidentiality with the use of highly encrypted
data servers as patients’ information vault. For more information you can call
KonsultaMD; hotline numbers are (02) 79880 and 798 8000 or visit any Globe
Stores nationwide.