ILOILO City – Patients confined at the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSUC) and the hospital’s medical staff can have 24/7 internet connectivity through the “Free WiFi For All” program of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The DICT yesterday launched the program at WVSUMC, making it the first hospital in Western Visayas to have free public WiFi.
Felino Castro, assistant secretary of DICT, said WVSUMC is a leading health care institution in this city, thus, it needs to boost its internet connectivity.
“If you are having caseloads of at least 200 to 400 patients passing through your emergency rooms, and the same number passing through your outpatient department, there are a lot of citizens that will be able to benefit from the services,” Castro said.
The free public WiFi with a bandwidth provision of 5 Mbps was first accessed at the hospital’s lobby. Castro said the coverage will expand to the emergency room, outpatient department and hospital wards.
Through the free WiFi, patients in their hospital beds could be connected to the world and this can aid their psycho-social needs.
Dr. Jose Senoi Galmatico, officer-in-charge of WVSUMC, said patients can inform their family members abroad and in other locations of their health situation.
“If you are sick, and you seek help from your relatives, you can easily contact them with the free WiFi,” Galmatico said.
This will also allow health practitioners share medical issues here and seek an opinion from other practitioners from other parts of the Philippines and abroad.
“This will unload our residents who subscribe through cellphone load and at the same time help in the continuing knowledge in medicine,” he said.
DICT’s “WiFi for All program” targets to install 100,000 operational free internet access sites across the country by 2022. (PNA)
5 mb. LMAO. So what, 1 person can use it if they’re trying to watch YouTube. Fantastic.