Given the threat of contracting the new coronavirus (COVID-19), many have now opted to postpone their medical appointments in the meantime, while others have chosen to nurse themselves back to health in the comfort of their homes using over-the-counter medicines and practical home remedies.
Such remedies–information you can easily find in a lot of websites–can come in really handy especially if you’re dealing with just a few minor burns, cuts, sniffles and stomachaches. But let’s face it: there are cases when home remedies may no longer do the trick. Professional healthcare may still be your best option–even if it means having to go out of the house to get yourself checked.
Fortunately, leading health maintenance organization Medicard Philippines Inc. has made adequate healthcare even more accessible amid this life-threatening health crisis.
Proving to be well on top of its game, Medicard has, for one, kept some of its free-standing clinics open; has a user-friendly and interactive website; offers telemedicine, wherein you can have primary care consultation with the doctors at Medicard Lifestyle Center without having to leave your home; and has the MyPocketDoctor, which is an app that allows you to make an appointment and consult with your doctor over Viber, Facebook Messenger and Facetime.
MediCard president Dr. Nicanor S. Montoya shared in an interview with the Inquirer that they have currently kept nine of their free-standing clinics open amid the quarantine to offer a medical facility for members and non-members alike who would need to consult with their doctors for primary care and other reasons. There are usually two to three doctors available, especially in the bigger facilities. Some of the doctors, he added, are also on standby and can readily have telemedicine consultations with the patients. There has likewise been a significant surge in the usage of the MyPocketDoctor app, according to Dr. Montoya, as more people recognize its value in this COVID-19 era. Users of MyPocketDoctor app pointed out that for one, they “don’t have to pay for parking or wait in line. Everything can be done in the comfort of your home anytime and now, an added benefit is that you’re not exposed to anyone who’s sick.”
MyPocketDoctor
Medicard Lifestyle blog
“In our website meanwhile, we always come out with advisories and useful tips on how to make it easier for people to be in quarantine and when people go back to work, how to be safe, how to keep healthy among others. Non-members can also inquire about the different HMO plans we offer in our new website, medicardphils.com, which was made more interactive and easier to navigate,” Dr. Montoya further said.
There is no doubt that Medicard continues to steadfastly carry out its commitment of bringing the best and most adequate healthcare closer to more Filipinos in a safer and more secure way despite this pandemic scare. And that’s because it leads with a heart, the will to make a difference, and a genuine concern for the lives of Filipinos.