A visit to your doctor is just a video link away
AN Irish company -- 3G Doctor -- is set to revolutionise the way you look at your doctor forever.
The company hopes to take the embarrassment out of a trip to the doctor and help people have anywhere-anytime access to a GP with video consultations.
3G Doctor is a service that allows you to consult with fully registered doctors using a video phone.
Once you register as a patient you can also use it to create, store and manage your personal health records which can be referred to by your doctor during video consultations.
And while the Kerry-based company say 3G doctor won't replace the family doctor, at around €44 per consultation, it is cheaper than the average GP.
For that money, you will get to complete an interactive questionnaire about your ailments which is then studied by the doctor who then calls you back via video link to discuss the problem and recommend a course of action.
However, Business Development Officer David Doherty says the system "should never be used in an emergency".
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"It's best suited for young people who are living away from home and have maybe never even met their family doctor.
"They might not even want to tell their parents they are sick, so it breaks down barriers," he said.
He added that it will help people overcome the "embarrassment" of going to the doctor.
The second major target audience are people in rural Ireland who may not be able to travel miles to get to a doctor or feel ill at night.
- Kevin Doyle
