People in Melbourne’s east and north-east are being encouraged to use the My Emergency Dr app over the Melbourne Cup holiday period for urgent after-hours health needs when their GP isn’t available.
The service, funded by Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (EMPHN), provides free medical care from specialist emergency doctors to people living in the EMPHN catchment.
EMPHN CEO Robin Whyte said the app can help avoid potential stress and time to get to a hospital emergency department when you don’t need to, particularly over a public holiday period when your local general practice might be closed.
“If your situation is not an emergency, My Emergency Dr can provide peace of mind for urgent after hours care,” she said.
“Since the initiative was implemented in EMPHN’s community in July, the service has been accessed more than 200 people have accessed this service with numbers increasing every day.”
My Emergency Dr CEO Dr Justin Bowra said the app allows patients to speak to My Emergency Dr’s Australian registered specialist emergency doctors as well as share video and pictures.
“Our doctors can order diagnostic tests, write prescriptions, refer patients to other specialists or recommend patients attend an emergency department if needed and every assessment is completed with a follow-up letter to their regular GP,” he said.
“GPs can also proactively refer patients they are concerned about overnight.”
Residents living in Melbourne’s east and north east can access free help via phone by contacting 1800 000 633 or by using the My Emergency Dr app by quoting their postcode during the after-hours period (outside 8am - 6pm on weekdays, outside 8am - 12 noon on Saturdays and all day on Sundays and public holidays). The My Emergency Dr app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
My Emergency Dr is also available for use by consumers outside of the EMPHN catchment for a fee.
Media enquiries: Claire James claire.james@emphn.org.au 0425 887 397.
About EMPHN: Eastern Melbourne PHN is a Primary Health Network funded by the Australian Government to improve the care and support people receive from health services. We aim to improve the health of our community by ensuring people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. www.emphn.org.au