It must be a challenge to ensure quality with forty freelance doctors serving 3,000 people a day.

How is quality assurance done? What medical records are kept?

Jamie

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Being online can reduce the distance to a doctor
Zon Pann Pwint
Myanmar Times
1 February 2019

Myanmar is ranked 190 out of 191 countries on the scale of performance of health systems by the World Health Organisation. The concept that everyone should have access to basic healthcare without financial stress (universal healthcare being the gold standard) cannot be achieved soon under present conditions.

Dr Htet Zan Linn and his wife Dr Su Mon Mon Tun believe that better healthcare services can succeeded with the aid of the technology.

Inaugurated by the couple in 2016, OnDoctor, a telemedicine product, now has over 40 freelance doctors answering health questions from 3,000 patients a day through the medium of Facebook messenger and the OnDoctor app. All consultations are totally free.

“Doctors are scant in the country. The doctor-patient ratio is one to 5,000, roughly, including doctors who do not practice medicine. In some parts of the region, some citizens have never seen a doctor,” said Dr Htet Zan Linn, the founder of OnDoctor.

About 100,000 people have been using OnDoctor mobile app since it was launched in April 2017. It has 1.3 million followers on its Facebook page. The majority of doctors on assignment studied in the field of family medicine and some even earned a Ph.D.

At least two doctors are assigned to answer questions every hour, 9am to 12pm daily. The questions sent from 12pm onwards are dealt by the doctors on staff the following morning. During peak time, more doctors come to aid the process in order to generate replies within a few minutes.

Dr Htet Zan Linn graduated in medicine but has worked in business for nearly a decade. When he initiated OnDoctor in 2016, it was only his wife offering consultations to patients through messenger.

“Every day, she dealt with 300 to 400 patients. That number of patients couldn’t be easily handled by her alone. We decided to call more doctors to answer health questions,” he said.

Different health questions are being asked. Some people want to ask questions on private topics such as reproductive health issues, things that they feel embarrassed to see a doctor or visit a clinic about. Some just want a second opinion from the doctors.

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From anywhere, make sure you’re in good health. Photo - Supplied
From anywhere, make sure you’re in good health. Photo - Supplied

“Some ask questions related to pregnancy issues while others ask questions about reproductive health. In flu season, they touch on flu cases or in rainy season, questions are about dengue fever. It depends on the season,” he said.

OnDoctor posts health articles written by doctors and videos on its website and its FB page. It has a network of doctors in different parts of the city and offers home visits to patients by contacting nearby doctors if a patient requests that.

Doctor visits, however, will incur a fee.

“There are regular question senders who ask OnDoctor every day. Some act like patient brokers who ask us on behalf of other patients in their place. It is good in a way that it reaches more people,” Dr Htet Zan Linn said.

Migrant workers from Thai and Malaysia rely on OnDoctor for health problems. “When they are not legal workers and do not have work permits, they don’t dare go to a clinic,” he said.

When Dr Htet Zan Linn visited Phukhet Island, he met some workers from Myanmar and they knew about OnDoctor.

Telemedicine has its own strong and weak points. “We can offer instant help when a patient is in dire need of health assistance, no matter where he or she lives. It makes relationship between the doctor and the patient stronger,” he said.

For example, a patient sprained her ankle. When the doctor examined the medical history, he learned that wearing high heels was the cause. He advised her to wear thin and comfortable slippers. The following day, she sent a picture of her slippers through messenger.

“The weak point is that we can’t do physical, in-person examinations. If a patient suffers from abdominal pain, we can’t examine whether her abdominal is hard or tense so we can’t offer treatment. Instead, we encourage her to visit a clinic,” he said.

OnDoctor passed a milestone on their journey when they saved the life of a man with depression who was attempting suicide.

“He successfully handled it after hours of chat with the doctors. The doctors could rescue him from his attempt to throw himself from a height,” he said.

But Dr Htet Zan Linn is not satisfied with his achievements so far. He wants to help more patients.

“Everyone has their own health problems. Everyone deserves their time with a doctor to discuss their own health,” he said.

Dr Htet Zan Linn is currently seeking revenue to invest in OnDoctor as they struggle to earn money from health articles to pay freelance doctors.

https://www.mmtimes.com/news/being-online-can-reduce-distance-doctor.html