The Project and Beneficiary
Cebu Province MDRU Field Testing and Training assessed if the MDRU can used as a disaster management tool, an educational and health aid; to promote tele-education and tele-health services to islands normally with no means of communication and even electric power.
The selected beneficiary is the Municipal of Cordova and its Barangay Island of Gilutongan around 6.54 kilometers away from the main island across the sea. The remote site has limited electricity available only at night time powered by a generating set. There is no direct Internet connection to provide the residents and is dependent on the cell sites located at the mainland in Cordova.
MDRU Field Testing and Training
The MDRU field testing and training for Cordova and Gilutongan was conducted last October 23 to 25, 2018; with fifty participants from the municipality and barangay and emergency responders; including 10 from the educational and 5 from the health sectors. To prepare the participants for the activity a half-day technical training on the usage was conducted.
For Disaster Management Simulation, the participants experienced the MDRU to make Disaster Assessment and finding Missing Persons. Participants we asked to go to the Barangay Hall, Evacuation Center and Transportation area to access the conditions and report back to the Command and Control Center the current situation.
As a Tele-education tool, the teachers and students shared educational materials and test questionnaires posted online by the teachers. The students answered the examinations using the MDRU SMS function.
As a Tele-health tool, patients were remotely consulting a medical practitioner sitting on the other side of the MDRU system, exchanging diagnosis via video file sharing and using MDRU phone.
Evaluation from participants indicated 100% find it easy to use during a disaster and 94% during normal non-disaster times.
On the usefulness of operations, 94% find it useful during a disaster and 100% during normal non-disaster times.