Breaking Barriers Amid the Pandemic: The Status of Telehealth in Southeast Asia and its Potential as a Mode of Healthcare Delivery in the Philippines

Southeast Asia (SEA) is a geographical bloc that is sociologically, politically, and economically diverse. This diversity has led to heterogeneity in levels of development of healthcare systems in its member states (Chongsuvivatwong et al., 2011). Nevertheless, countries in SEA share joint commitments, particularly in achieving Universal Health Coverage. Their efforts toward this goal has progressed significantly, as evidenced by the increasing availability of preventive and curative care services across SEA (Van Minh et al., 2014). As it is, the healthcare system of SEA struggles to meet the ever-changing demands of its aging population that has become more prosperous and aware of its human rights (Chongsuvivatwong et al., 2011). The problem is the insufficient healthcare workforce of SEA, with only 1.93 doctors per 10,000 population in Cambodia as the lowest, and 22.94 doctors per 10,000 population in Singapore as the highest, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (Geneva: World Health Organizations, 2021). In the report, eight out of 11 SEA countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) have doctor-population ratios lower than the WHO recommendation of 10 doctors per 10,000 population. This translates to immense amounts of work for doctors serving patients in the region.