A new telephone health care service is being monitored by the Rural Doctors Association (RDA) to ensure traditional services in regional areas do not diminish as a result.
Telstra’s ReadyCare was launched this month and allows patients to talk to a doctor by phone or video link and receive a diagnosis and prescriptions.
The company said it was an accessible way for country patients and others to receive medical care.
RDA chief executive Jenny Johnson said the association was monitoring the service to make sure it did not have a negative effect on staff numbers in regional areas.
“We need to be very careful that any of these telehealth initiatives actually support the general practitioners that are on the ground, rather than be seen as an actual substitute for those on-ground services,” she said.
Telstra said it wanted ReadyCare to augment other health care and would be working with government bodies and professional associations.
It planned to share ReadyCare advice or treatment with a patient’s GP, subject to patient consent.
ReadyCare chief executive officer Gianin Zogg said its doctors were able to treat coughs, colds, flu and skin conditions but it would never be “a substitute for face to face visits” with a doctor.