One interesting consequence of the Covid threat has been the rise of telehealth … a development which has actually been a boon for many grey nomads.
The service was established to limit in-person contact throughout the pandemic but has been a huge success, and will now become a permanent feature of the country’s healthcare system.
The Federal Government will commit $106 million to make the service permanent, with the existing arrangements to be maintained.
Funding for telehealth services had been due to cease in January.
Health Minister Greg Hunt told the ABC that telehealth has been a ‘quiet revolution’ to the healthcare system.
“It has changed the way Australians are able to access healthcare,” Mr Hunt said. “There is a very important role for face-to-face care, but equally that supplementary role for telehealth can give people access when they need it appropriate to their circumstances.”
Since telehealth was launched soon after the arrival of Covid, there have been more than 86 million telehealth consultations.
The head of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Karen Price, told the ABC that the announcement of a permanent telehealth service was a ‘wonderful day in the history of general practice’.
“Telehealth has been a remarkable and innovative solution which enabled our country to stay as safe as possible.”
Dr Price said that, beyond Covid, telehealth would help to deliver ‘sorely needed’ services to regional and rural Australia, and was an essential service for people who had trouble getting to a doctor, or only needed to see a GP for a minor issue.
• Have you used the telehealth service since it was introduced? Will its continuation give you more confidence travelling in the future? Comment below.
I haven’t used telehealth exactly, but since Covid I’ve been allowed to consult with my Dr over the phone for minor issues, which I wasn’t allowed to do before Covid. This has saved me from having to set aside a whole day to go into town to have a 5 min consultation with him to a 5 min conversation on the phone. It’s working well from my perspective