Hello Doctor, there's a problem

Through Hello Doctor - majority owned by Metropolitan Health - the public can interact with qualified doctors for medical assistance at a fee. There are already 600,000 registered users across all digital platforms where medical advice and health content are posted.

The MTN Group has recently formed a partnership with the company.

"Mobile phones offer an obvious and affordable way to share relevant and effective health information and services like Hello Doctor have significant value to add," said Dr Michael Mol, executive director of Hello Doctor and presenter of the Hello Doctor television show.

But the council's chief executive and registrar, Dr Buyiswa Mjamba-Matshoba, said the initiative may be in breach of the council's ethical rules and regulations.

HPCSA's 'grave concerns'

"The council is not opposed to telemedicine. However, business models that clearly contravene the HPCSA's ethical rules and discourage face-to-face consultations between the patient and practitioner, are of grave concern," said Mjamba-Matshoba

The council expressed concerns about patient record-keeping and confidentiality as well as informed patient consent. Doctors were cautioned not to participate.

Mol said the council misunderstood the service and said it was not telemedicine and did not contravene regulations.

"We enable consumers to make informed decisions about their health; no diagnosis or treatment decisions are made," he said.

The company has a service level agreement with a doctor network that has more than 200 doctors working in emergency rooms around South Africa.

It said it processed more than 20,000 digital "Q&As" from users with no comebacks. According to marketing director Craig Townsend, in many instances the doctors recommend users see a general practitioner.

Source: The Times via I-Net Bridge