Olongapo City, Philippines — Virginia Dapilaga, 16, had already trekked for an hour, at sunrise, from the resettlement area of the indigenous Aetas to the village proper in Barangay Gordon Heights when the heavy rains came. She and her three cousins were on their way to get free chest X-ray scans at the health center.
But tropical storm Carina brought unending downpour. Virginia thought it was too late to go back home. When they reached the site, she and her cousins were all dripping wet and embarrassed at their state.
Health workers immediately offered them towels, seats, and meals. Virginia learned that of the 30 invited residents from their resettlement area, only 10 were able to come for the chest X-ray screening. The rest could no longer take the long walk to the village proper because of the storm.
Olongapo City Health Office radiologic technologist Julia Mae Obligado guided Virginia to stand against a metal plate mounted on a tripod. Virginia has never seen an actual X-ray machine, yet she found it unusual that the apparatus she was seeing resembles a professional camera. She imagined the x-ray machine to be bigger than the one she saw on that rainy day.
Grant from the Japanese People
Olongapo City recently received an ultra-portable chest X-ray machine, as part of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. A grant worth of US$ 87,756 was awarded to Olongapo City’s non-government organization (NGO) partner, the Center for Health Solutions and Innovations Philippines, Inc. (CHSI).
CHSI purchased the ultra-portable machine from Fujifilm Philippines in May 2024 and began a series of field-testing activities to practice how to use the machine in upland villages of Olongapo City like Barangay Gordon Heights where Virginia and her Aeta family live. “Hingang malalim. Pigilan ang paghinga. Huwag gagalaw (Inhale. Hold your breath. Don’t move.),” radiologic technologist Mae instructed Virginia. Virginia heard a distinct clicking sound despite the rain pattering on the roof. It was Mae taking a scan of Virginia’s chest. Mae guided Virginia back to her seat and advised her to wait for the results of the chest X-ray scanning.
Enabled by artificial intelligence
Health workers led by Dr. Sigfried Alcausin, the Tuberculosis Control and Prevention Program medical coordinator, huddled around a small laptop and waited with bated breath as the software generated an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled radiologic finding.
After less than a minute, the health workers sighed both in relief and amazement as they read the initial findings. Virginia’s lungs are normal and marked as negative for TB presentations. TB nurse Mary Kris Avecina gave the good news to Virginia.
“Malusog ang mga baga mo. Umiwas sa mga gawaing magpapahina ng iyong mga baga tulad ng paninigarilyo (Your lungs are healthy. Avoid practices that may harm your lungs like smoking),” Mary Kris told Virginia. Virginia nodded shyly.
While waiting for the downpour to subside, Virginia saw the same exercise done repeatedly to those who came for the free chest X-ray. A health worker asks for the client’s name and birthday, and about symptoms that may be suggestive of a respiratory problem. The information is encoded into the laptop. The client stands before the plate and is instructed to take a deep breath and hold the pose. The client is ushered back to the waiting area. In less than a minute, a health worker informs the client if the findings are alarming or not.
If something seems to be remarkable, Dr. Sigfried performs a physical examination of the client. On that stormy day, the field-testing of the ultra-portable chest X-ray yielded zero findings of TB but three presumptive pneumonia cases.
“I was in awe at this amazing technology,” Dr. Sigfried said. “This will really help us significantly in our TB detection efforts.”
Support to residents and health workers
At a formal turn-over ceremony several days after the field-testing in Barangay Gordon Heights, Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino, Jr. confessed that the primary care providers of the City Health Office are the most excited to receive the ultra-portable chest X-ray machine from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.
“While it is true that this machine will help us find more persons with TB among the indigenous Aetas and the urban poor sector in the city, our doctors and nurses are very excited to use this amazing invention to make their jobs easier,” said Mayor Paulino, Jr.
Miss Tokiko Nishimura, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, shared her hope that the use of the new x-ray machine would contribute to the Olongapo City’s efforts toward ending TB, and bringing much needed health services to the indigenous Aetas.
Dr. Carmina Aquino, managing director of CHSI Philippines, Inc., said that the work has just begun to deliver real results, especially for the unreached. “CHSI will support Olongapo City in bringing the ultra-portable chest X-ray machine to upland areas where Aetas live remotely from essential health services.”
Fujifilm Philippines, Inc. vice president Mr. Takashi Miyako, looks forward to supporting these outreach initiatives of Olongapo City Health Office and CHSI. “We believe that access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human right and we are committed to delivering our full support to this project,” Mr. Miyako said.
Inclusive, patient-centered care
As of June this year, the Olongapo City Health Office already screened for TB over 24,000 residents using chest X-ray scanning. But majority of these came from hospitals and private clinics. Out of these, about 940 were diagnosed with TB. This translates to one person with TB found for every 26 people screened via chest X-ray.
However, the local TB registry does not specify if those scanned and diagnosed were from the indigenous Aetas. “This is what we hope to achieve in Olongapo City with the use of this new x-ray machine — a more inclusive, patient-centered approach to TB control,” said Mayor Paulino, Jr.
TB People Philippines Organization, Inc., a group of TB survivors, supports Mayor Paulino’s advocacy. Its president Eloisa Zepeda-Teng committed to help in setting up a team of TB survivors from Olongapo City as advocates-partners. “We hope to engage also with Aetas who would successfully complete their TB treatment in the future,” she said.
Through a grant from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), CHSI mobilizes additional resources from the private sector and development partners to aid in Olongapo City’s TB control program. Virginia hopes that the health team will return soon to their village. “Sana wala nang bagyo, para mas marami pang mga Aeta ang matulungan (I hope there will be no storms the next time so more Aetas will benefit from this). (#)
