Telemedicine time

It is a fact. Healthcare in South Africa implies, for some, long queues at state hospitals and clinics, and for others exorbitant private doctors' fees. Also a fact, our health practitioners are overworked.

One of the solutions proposed by the government and the private sector is telemedicine. It is already in place in South Africa, and uses technology to perform the routine and basic diagnosis of illness, prescribe medication and transmit and store health data - over the internet and by telephone.

A commercial example of this new medical practice is the Hello Doctor project, launched last Sunday. A spin-off television chat show aired for the first time this weekend.

Co-founder Craig Townsend explains that the concept is multi-faceted, offering telemedicine online, by telephone and through the talk show.

The free online advice service enables "patients" to create a user profile, which records all questions and interaction.

The website offers advice in web articles that have been vetted by doctors. Users can search for the nearest doctor, specialist and pharmacy, rate articles and join online support groups.

Then follows interactive online chats with doctors. Patients ask medical questions, which are answered by one of 300 qualified doctors.

Should the patient not find a solution, the doctor then suggests a telephone consultation.

The initial cost is R200 a tele-consult with free extended care at pharmacies - in the form of nurses who assess physical symptoms and perform basic tests.

"The nurses in one of 400-odd pharmacies assist doctors in making medical diagnoses, like checking ear, nose and throat, which you obviously can't do by phone," Townsend said.

"Prescriptions [up to Schedule 5 medicines] can be e-scripted to the pharmacy so the patient can leave with their medication. They even receive sick notes by SMS."

Follow-up phone calls are free. An envisioned subscription service could cost as little as R60 a family a month.

The multimedia portal was created using cloud-based technology, which records phone calls, online queries and X-rays to form an electronic patient database.

"The doctors do not work at a call centre, but from their own homes," said Townsend.

The telemedical advisers have been approved by the Health Professions Council of South Africa and are recognised by all medical aids.

Marella O'Reilly, acting CEO and registrar, said: "Tele-healthcare practitioners are bound by the general ethical rules that guide [regular] healthcare practitioners, like patient confidentiality, informed consent and healthcare practitioner-patient relationship."

• Call 087-350-1360 or go to hello doctor.com for more information