After hours companies for Covid-19 referrals are freed from cost, HSE stresses
Half of those who call general practitioners to talk about Covid-19 symptoms are free – ESRI
click to enlarge
There should be no fee for transfers outside of business hours for transfers from Covid-19, the Head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) told the Oireachtas Special Covid-19 Response Committee yesterday (Wednesday, August 26).
Paul Reid informed members that a national agreement was about to expire, but that it had been extended and was being discussed with a view to further extension.
“It is expected that this will happen. It is applicable nationwide, ”he added.
He responded to Fianna Fáil's deputy, James Lawless, referring to the contact from a member in Kildare who last Saturday presented the only off-hours health service available in Kildare, namely KDOC (Kildare and West Wicklow Doctors on Call) ), a general practitioner cooperative. He said that if patients didn't have a medical card, they would have to pay a consultation fee of € 50.
Reid added that he would ask his colleagues "to go under the hood on KDOC to find out what exactly it is about".
At the national level, the HSE had extended the agreement to all after-hours services and no fee should be charged. "We have to close whatever the problem is in this regard," he told committee members.
A new survey by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) released yesterday found that nearly half of people didn't know it was free to call their GP to discuss symptoms of Covid-19.
Over a third of respondents believed they could be billed for a test.
The results are based on a nationally representative survey of 1,000 adults in Ireland carried out in early July.
The survey examined the public's understanding of the national Covid-19 test-and-trace system to identify potential barriers to engagement.
Respondents were interviewed at every stage of the process, from organizing a test to getting results to notifying them of close contacts if necessary. The study found overwhelming public support for the system, but only 3 percent were able to correctly answer all comprehension questions.
The survey also found that a majority had negative views about those who tested positive for Covid-19.
Despite the ease with which the virus spread, over 70 percent of people across all socio-demographic groups believed that someone infected with Covid-19 had neglected or recklessly followed public health advice.
Fear of being accused can be an obstacle to getting a test done quickly when symptoms occur. These misperceived costs could discourage or delay people from arranging a test if symptoms arise, says Series 96 by Shane Timmons, Martina Barjaková, “Public Understanding and Perception of the Covid-19 Testing and Tracking System, Survey and statistical report ". Deirdre Robertson, Cameron Belton and Pete Lunn.
The survey also found that people in their twenties and thirties are less likely to know that the GP consultation is free, they are more likely to think testing is tedious and uncomfortable, that waiting times for results are more pessimistic and that they are more concerned make about being identified by their close contacts. • •
valerie.ryan@imt.ie
Comments are closed.