Several benefits of consulting an after-hours doctor

Several benefits of consulting an after-hours doctor

Working

Everyone gets sick or suffers from an injury. However, not all of these health concerns occur during conventional office hours. In fact, it is quite common to become ill during the night or on public holidays. In this case, your regular general practitioner or medical professional may be unavailable during these times. Because of this, consulting with an after-hours doctor could be crucial in ensuring that you receive the best medical treatment in a timely manner, hereby guaranteeing your health and medical wellbeing. Here are several key advantages of seeing a medical professional who operates out of office times.

Medical help when you need it

As outlined prior, your regular medical practitioner may be unavailable when you need those most. They may be on holiday or they may be unavailable due to a family emergence. If a serious sickness strikes out of office times, chances are your regular GP won’t be there to help you in your time of need.

However, seeing an after-hours doctor means you are guaranteed to receive high quality medical service when you need it the most. These medical professionals are highly qualified and experienced in dealing with a wide array of ailments, diseases and injuries.

It could be the difference between life and death

It goes without saying that you may be confronted with a situation where you need medical attention immediately. Serious injuries can quickly become life-threatening, resulting in death or long-term physical and emotional effects. Seeing an after-hours doctor ascertains that receive the medical assistance that you require at a time when it will help you the most, and in some instances, save your life.

Government funding

The Australian Government is making several key changes to the Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) to ensure that after hour’s doctors receive more funding, hereby guaranteeing that patients receive the highest quality service. The measure includes $1 billion in annual funding, whereby the Australian Government invests in support for people seeking care during unconventional times. This will ensure that all patients receive a proper assessment according to their personal situation. Overall, the government’s changes will go a long way in ensuring that after hour’s doctor services can be provided to all patients in genuinely urgent situations, regardless of the time or circumstances.

Experience

Many after-hours doctors are incredibly experienced in their medical field. Often, they have been specialists in the past but have since moved into more general medical assistance. Because of this, your after-hours doctor will likely possess extensive knowledge and experience, meaning your ailment will be treated with great compassion, care, diligence and understanding.

Moreover, these types of general practitioners are able to recommend you to relevant specialists and other qualified medical professionals. This means that even if your general practitioner does not possess the relevant skills to treat or diagnose your illness, they can certainly recommend you to someone who does.

Peace of mind

Regardless of whether you need to see a general practitioner who operates at unconventional working hours, knowing there is a medical professional available to you at any time of the day or night is security in itself.

You may have young children who are prone to croup, whooping cough, pneumonia or more serious medical conditions. Furthermore, children are more prone to needing late-night medical attention, due to the susceptible of their immune systems at that age. Knowing that there is an after-hours doctor at your disposal is peace of mind and beneficial to you as a parent or guardian. You want what is best for your child and loved ones.