Coronavirus: Weekend phone support for Covid patients

Gesy general practitioners (GPs) will as of Saturday offer phone support to Covid-19 patients during the weekends to make sure the necessary help is offered to everyone, the health insurance organisation (HIO) announced on Friday.

Gesy operator HIO said this was a way of better tackling the fourth wave of the pandemic “for better and more efficient service to patients with Covid-19.”

In case patients are not able to receive support from their GPs during weekends, they can call 1420 to be referred to another GP who can offer help over the phone.

This programme will run from Saturday and every weekend during August and September. The phone support will be available between 9am and 11pm.

The GPs will offer guidance to the patients by phone and will implement the health ministry’s protocol for the treatment of patients with Covid-19.

In case a doctor deems it necessary, he or she will arrange the transfer of the patient to a hospital by contacting the ambulance service.

HIO stressed that all beneficiaries should continue to consult with their own GPs first on any medical matter, including Covid-19. It also called on people avoid going to the accident and emergency departments (A&Es) for non-emergencies and incidents that are not related to accidents, citing the epidemiological conditions and the pressure the health system has been under.

It added that problems, except for accidents, should first be evaluated by each person’s GP before patients turn to the A&Es.