{"id":10487,"date":"2020-10-21T09:49:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T14:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/?p=10487"},"modified":"2025-10-21T14:21:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T20:21:11","slug":"la-evolucion-de-la-telesalud-en-bolivia-durante-la-pandemia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/plataformas-digitales\/la-evolucion-de-la-telesalud-en-bolivia-durante-la-pandemia\/","title":{"rendered":"The evolution of telehealth in Bolivia during the pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Bolivia began its telehealth strategy in 2013, seven years ago. This year, just one month before the first case of COVID-19, its modality changed to teleconsulting what was important to answer thousands of calls during the pandemic.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

From the first weeks of February, Bolivia's government has enabled a free hotline to resolve public doubts about the new coronavirus. On February 13, the Call Center was enabled with the support and work of 50 professionals. Between psychologists and physicians, they resolved doubts from the population about COVID-19 care, health measures and recommendations. The purpose of the consultations was to function as a filter to identify suspected cases and apply appropriate measures and tests.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The call center operated seven days a week, 24 hours a day and was attended by professionals from various institutions under the Ministry of Health such as the Emergency Coordinating Center in National Health, National Information System in Health and Epidemiological Surveillance, SAFCI program, My Health, Bono Juana Azurduy and Telesalud.<\/p>

On 10 March the Ministry of Health confirmed the first two cases of COVID-19 in Bolivia and by 12 March the Bolivian government declared a state of health emergency by COVID-19 and adopted the first quarantine and social distancing measures that would be in force until 10 May. Following the advent of contagion and the inevitable community transmission, the call center changed its operation and by 16 March it already had 108 doctors trained to monitor potential suspected cases.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Towards the end of June, the Bolivian government reported that the COVID-19 call center received 220,000 consultations since the start of activities in March, and that 3,278 people classified as suspected cases received medical monitoring and follow-up, of which 25% were confirmed as positive cases.<\/p>

Juan Pablo Escalera, coordinator of the Telesalud program at the national level, mentioned in June that the follow-up program was led by 175 doctors who tracked patients with COVID-19 symptoms through teleconsultation on digital platforms. By October, nearly 8,000 patients had been monitored, 14% of whom received medical care in hospitals.<\/p>

On the other hand, Escalera mentions that 338 municipalities have telemedicine services among them the municipalities of the department of Santa Cruz the department with the largest territorial extension and also the most populous in Bolivia. Lina Flores, who serves as departmental coordinator in Santa Cruz of the Telesalud program, exemplified how the service provided to patients calling from within the country works: \u201cA patient can call from Comarapa and if the call center doctor (who is physically in La Paz) finds him suspicious, he is ousted to the Santa Cruz team, who, in turn, , puts you in touch with your doctor at Comarapa for phone follow-up. Only if you require medical attention or hospital stay is you sent where appropriate.\u201d<\/p>

Flores explained the challenges of making a telehealth strategy through the call center, in the case of teleconsultas, these are usually done by video call and not the entire population has access to such services. In addition, he commented that there were times when ambulances were not enough to refer patients to a hospital. However, he acknowledged the role of these tools during the pandemic: \u201cTelesalud helped prevent the saturation of health facilities, making it possible to manage mild and moderate cases within homes through teleconsultation.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBIBLIOGRAPHY<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

GOVERNMENT OF BOLIVIA<\/strong><\/p>

https:\/\/comunicacion.gob.bo\/?q=20200821\/30404<\/a><\/p>

https:\/\/comunicacion.gob.bo\/?q=20200313\/28933<\/a><\/p>

https:\/\/comunicacion.gob.bo\/?q=20200630\/29879<\/a><\/p>

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

DUTY <\/strong><\/p>

https:\/\/eldeber.com.bo\/santa-cruz\/telesalud-la-pandemia-empujo-su-despegue_203797<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bolivia comenz\u00f3 su estrategia de telesalud en 2013, hace siete a\u00f1os. Este a\u00f1o, justo un mes antes del primer caso de COVID-19, su modalidad cambi\u00f3 a teleconsulta lo que fue importante para atender miles de llamadas durante la pandemia. Desde las primeras semanas de febrero, el gobierno de Bolivia, habilit\u00f3 una l\u00ednea telef\u00f3nica gratuita para resolver dudas de la poblaci\u00f3n sobre el nuevo coronavirus. El 13 de febrero, fue habilitado el Call Center con el apoyo y trabajo de 50 profesionales. Entre psic\u00f3logos y m\u00e9dicos, resolvieron dudas de la poblaci\u00f3n sobre cuidados contra el COVID-19, las medidas y recomendaciones sanitarias. El prop\u00f3sito de las consultas fue funcionar como un filtro para identificar los casos sospechosos y aplicar las medidas y pruebas correspondientes. El call center funcion\u00f3 los siete d\u00edas de la semana, las 24 horas del d\u00eda y cont\u00f3 con la participaci\u00f3n de profesionales de diversas instituciones dependientes del Ministerio de Salud como el Centro Coordinador de Emergencia en Salud Nacional, Sistema Nacional de Informaci\u00f3n en Salud y Vigilancia Epidemiol\u00f3gica, programa SAFCI, Mi Salud, Bono Juana Azurduy y Telesalud. El 10 de marzo el Ministerio de Salud confirm\u00f3 los primeros dos casos de COVID-19 en Bolivia y para el 12 de marzo el gobierno boliviano declar\u00f3 Estado de emergencia sanitaria por COVID-19 y adoptaron las primeras medidas de cuarentena y distanciamiento social que estar\u00edan vigentes hasta el 10 de mayo. Tras la llegada de los contagios y la inevitable transmisi\u00f3n comunitaria, el call center modific\u00f3 su funcionamiento y el 16 de marzo ya contaba con 108 m\u00e9dicos capacitados para dar seguimiento a posibles casos sospechosos. Hacia finales de junio el gobierno boliviano, inform\u00f3 que el centro de llamadas COVID-19 recibi\u00f3 220 mil consultas desde el inicio de actividades en marzo, y que 3 mil 278 personas calificadas como casos sospechosos, recibieron monitoreo y seguimiento m\u00e9dico, de las cuales el 25% fueron confirmados como casos positivos. Juan Pablo Escalera, coordinador del programa Telesalud a nivel nacional, mencion\u00f3 en junio, que el programa de seguimiento era dirigido por 175 m\u00e9dicos quienes hicieron seguimiento a pacientes con s\u00edntomas de COVID-19 a trav\u00e9s de teleconsultas por plataformas digitales.  Hacia octubre hab\u00edan hecho seguimientos a cerca de 8 mil pacientes, de los cuales el 14% recibieron atenci\u00f3n medica en hospitales. Por otra parte, Escalera menciona que 338 municipios cuentan con servicios de telemedicina entre ellos los municipios del departamento de Santa Cruz el departamento con mayor extensi\u00f3n territorial y adem\u00e1s el m\u00e1s poblado de Bolivia. Lina Flores, quien se desempe\u00f1a como coordinadora departamental en Santa Cruz del programa Telesalud, ejemplific\u00f3 c\u00f3mo funciona el servicio brindado a pacientes que llaman desde el interior del pa\u00eds: \u201cUn paciente puede llamar desde Comarapa y si el m\u00e9dico del call center (que est\u00e1 f\u00edsicamente en La Paz) lo encuentra sospechoso, lo deriva al equipo de Santa Cruz, que, a su vez, lo pone en contacto con el m\u00e9dico en Comarapa para que le haga seguimiento telef\u00f3nico. Solo en caso que requiera atenci\u00f3n m\u00e9dica o internaci\u00f3n se le env\u00eda a donde corresponde\u201d. Flores explic\u00f3 los desaf\u00edos que represent\u00f3 realizar una estrategia de telesalud a trav\u00e9s del call center, en el caso de las teleconsultas, estas suelen realizarse por videollamada y no toda la poblaci\u00f3n tiene acceso a ese tipo de servicios. Adem\u00e1s, coment\u00f3 que hubo momentos en los cuales las ambulancias no eran suficientes para referir a los pacientes a un hospital. Sin embargo, reconoci\u00f3 el papel de estas herramientas durante la pandemia: \u201cTelesalud ayud\u00f3 a evitar la saturaci\u00f3n de los establecimientos de salud, logrando que casos leves y moderados se hayan podido manejar dentro de los domicilios a trav\u00e9s de la teleconsulta\u201d. BIBLIOGRAF\u00cdA GOBIERNO DE BOLIVIA https:\/\/comunicacion.gob.bo\/?q=20200821\/30404 https:\/\/comunicacion.gob.bo\/?q=20200313\/28933 https:\/\/comunicacion.gob.bo\/?q=20200630\/29879   EL DEBER https:\/\/eldeber.com.bo\/santa-cruz\/telesalud-la-pandemia-empujo-su-despegue_203797<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[154,153],"tags":[145],"class_list":["post-10487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-comunidades-conectadas","category-plataformas-digitales","tag-noticias"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saluddigital.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}