Lockdown is approaching and with it, a whole host of new concerns. Yes, we will be permitted to leave our homes to seek medical attention, but unless it's absolutely necessary or life-threatening, maintaining social distance needs to be top of mind for all South Africans. One way to help support our social distancing efforts is to make use of virtual or online healthcare practitioners.

Hello Doctor

Hello Doctor lets you talk to a doctor on your phone, so you don't even have to leave the house! It’s a whole new way to manage your health – using the one thing you always have with you, your phone. Hello Doctor allows you to skip the waiting rooms and stop scaring yourself into oblivion with internet searches.

How do you use it? All you have to do is download the Hello Doctor app, and you can talk to a qualified medical doctor, right from your smartphone. Hello Doctor is available 24/7. Once a call has been requested, they will respond within an hour.

Details: https://www.hellodoctor.co.za/

Discovery Health Virtual Consultation

Discovery Health offers a virtual health consultation service to its members. Once you've downloaded the Discovery app to your smartphone, you can find a network GP that is close to you and give your doctor consent to view your health record. The process is safe and secure – only these doctors can access your history and medical details. Your health record is necessary to help them make a more accurate diagnosis and to provide you with the best quality care.

How do you use it? Once you have completed these steps, you can have a follow-up virtual consultation with this approved GP. Your virtual consultation can happen by video, voice message or text message – whichever is most convenient for you. You can also use the app to order your medicine online.

Details: https://www.discovery.co.za/corporate/health-virtual-consultation

Doctors On Call

If the situation you find yourself in is one that requires a face-to-face with a healthcare professional, Doctors on Call might be the service you need. Since its inception twenty years ago, Doctors on Call has been offering uninterrupted, 24 hours, seven days a week care, with prompt responses to Johannesburg patients requiring ambulatory medical assistance. This unique service has only been made possible by a fantastic team of doctors dedicated to their profession.

How do you use it? Doctors on Call offers 24/7 home, hotel and office visits. To access their services, simply call them via their hotline.

Details: http://doctorsoncall.co.za |+27 11 788 2222

Do you know of any other online healthcare services we didn't include? Let us know in the comments below!