Visiting a GP in Ireland is a time-consuming business, and many of us put off going because it can be incredibly difficult to find a suitable appointment around school runs and work.
In fact, according to a new Amarach survey commissioned by online GP service VideoDoc, many people simply google their symptoms to avoid the such a hassle.
It is also incredibly expensive; the average spend per person per year on GP visits is €171 with one in five spending in excess of €250.
But it's not just the cost of the doctor; the survey also found that there is an associated cost to parents for childcare when visiting the GP, which is on average €50.
Leinster-based respondents needed to spend the most on childcare to visit their GP with the cost averaging €75, compared to the average of €35 in Munster.
Many of these GP visits are for straightforward matters like repeat prescriptions or cold and flu symptoms, with 51% of all Irish adults confident that they already know what medical assistance they will get before going into their GP.
Those that need to take time off work to visit their GP estimate that they spend 6 hours on average doing so. Employees aged 25 - 34 are slightly above this average.
“These survey findings show that people can often find the traditional GP service inconvenient and expensive. Our experience of general practice is that about 70% of all GP visits can be treated online. VideoDoc offers a service where patients can simply log on from wherever they are and be treated within minutes” said Mary O’Brien, CEO at VideoDoc.
An annual VideoDoc subscription with unlimited consultations and no hidden fees costs €35 for an individual and €110 for a family of four (two adults & two children). A single VideoDoc GP consultation is €20.
All VideoDoc GPs are Irish Medical Council registered with at least two years service on the Specialist Register and have been fully trained to provide remote health services. Click here for more info.
