Providing Quality Healthcare to Filipinos Through Technology
By: Alexis Faye G. Gencianeo

If there is a silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that it has accelerated the deployment of modern
technologies to address the growing need for on-demand medical diagnostics, as people have been ordered to shelter in place
or are otherwise afraid of contracting the deadly disease. Toshi Zialcita, the
operations leader of Tech4Health, a start-up mobile diagnostics company
that launched just before the pandemic was announced in the second quarter of 2020, shared this insight. Since then, the demand for home service lab
testing has clearly increased, according to the organization. He emphasizes
that the plans to release Tech4Health had been in the works long before
COVID-19 broke out.
Dr. Austin Gawaran, Tech4Health’s medical director, adds, “We believe this is the future of healthcare and wellness in the Philippines, as it is already
happening in other parts of the world, and it was only a matter of time before mobile and on demand medical diagnostics became the way to go here in
the country.” The demographic Zialcita is referring to is an aging population
that is finding it increasingly difficult to leave their homes for personal
reasons. Their guardians or caretakers — usually their children —
are millennials who grew up with technology and are accustomed to it
working for them to help them with their hectic daily schedules.
Thanks to Tech4Health, the power of technology is now at the fingertips of
Filipino patients, who can use it to improve their quality of life by bringing the country’s healthcare practices up to international standards. “Healthcare is a necessity for everyone.” However, in developing countries such as the
Philippines, many people still lack access to high-quality healthcare.
Tech4Health aspires to be the solution, leveraging technology to expand
access to more patients. Gawaran concludes, “Tech4Health is here to
disrupt diagnostics by providing safe, convenient, and accurate lab tests from the comfort of your own home.”