1 month ago
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Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s digital healthcare arm mWell is pioneering the use of drones for the delivery of medicine in Southeast Asia in order to reach hard-to-access areas in the Philippines.
In a statement the firm said the service is designed to complement the telemedicine services provided to geographically isolated communities and its first medical drone delivery was launched in Barangay Niogan, Pilila, Rizal.
"Distance should never be a barrier to healthcare. Through drones, we’re bridging the distance between patients and life-saving medicines. This isn't simply a matter of convenience, but of getting help to every Filipino that needs it," said MPIC and mWell Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.
MPIC Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability Officer and mWell President and CEO Chaye Cabal-Revilla said “Our commitment has always been to find innovative ways to make health and wellness accessible, affordable and available to our countrymen anytime, anywhere.”
“Drone technology enables us to provide medical supplies to Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities and remote areas nationwide. Through our partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, we will be able to serve more areas and enhance patience outcomes,” she added.
Department of Information and Communications Secretary Ivan John Uy "We can proudly say that we are not being left behind by other countries. We have a medicine drone delivery service that can provide medicines to far-flung areas in our country.
“Many of our countrymen will benefit from this service. We would like to thank our private partner, mWell for helping us make this happen."
As the head of mWell’s technology partner, Philippines Flying Labs (PFL) Managing Director of Dr. Heidi Sampang said “Our partnership with mWell will transform the Philippines’ healthcare by strengthening the service delivery infrastructure using innovative technology expanding access to quality care and addressing disparities in underserved communities.”
The Philippines’ health and wellness mega app has been providing mWell OnTheGo Clinic-In-A-Bag to enable teleconsultation in remote areas including Turtle Islands in Tawi-Tawi, Calayan island and Sacol island.
Each bag contains a tablet/mobile phone, health passes for online doctor consultation, Smart Pocket Wi-Fi and an mWellness Kit containing a digital thermometer, blood pressure monitor and oximeter.
Providing teleconsultation services to far-flung communities is made possible through mWell’s partnership with DICT’s Broadband Ng Masa (BBM) initiative which enables better access and connectivity in areas with little to no internet connection, as well as the SMART Villages and SMART Islands program which demonstrate the transformative potential of digital solutions in enhancing community health and well-being.
During teleconsultations conducted in these communities, a critical barrier to effective patient care remained: difficulty in acquiring prescribed medications due to limited pharmacy access and medication shortages.
“We have received feedback that after consultations, doctors prescribe medicines that are sometimes unavailable in health centers. Since these patients are in remote areas, we thought about how to get the medicines to them. That’s why we partnered with the Philippines Flying Labs, which offers drone delivery services,” said Tisha Quinitio, mWell’s Business Development Head.
She added that, “Our goal is to send medicines using drones. After an mWell teleconsultation, with just a click on their tablet, medicines can be delivered directly to remote areas via drone.”
