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Australia will move towards a telehealth system aimed at getting more people treated without having to go into a doctor's surgery, in a bid to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Key points:
- All patients will be able to claim Medicare rebates when they see their doctor or other medical professional via video conferencing
- GPs who are vulnerable to COVID-19 will be able to work from home
- 30 million face masks are on the way to Australia
The Federal Government has also confirmed an additional 63,000 coronavirus test kits arrived today, with close to 100,000 having arrived in the last week.
The nation is also seeking to double its 2,000 intensive care unit ventilators.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said existing telehealth guidelines would be expanded to allow all patients to be able to claim money back for consultations with doctors and health practitioners over video conferencing sites like Facetime or WhatsApp.
The so-called whole-of-population telehealth system means people will have the option to access mental health, allied health and general practice medical support in cases where they don't need to see a doctor in person.
"[It's] very important to stress, however, that a very large proportion of GP services of course require face-to-face treatment," Mr Hunt said.
"Whether that's cardiac, whether that is items relating to blood pressure, whether it's other diagnoses."
The Health Minister also announced direct text messages would be used as part of the next stage of Australia's coronavirus information campaign.
The focus initially will be on reminding Australians about social distancing and hand washing.
GPs who are vulnerable to COVID-19 can work from home
Doctors who are vulnerable to COVID-19, because of chronic illness or being older than 70, will also be able to carry out consultations from home.
Previously, doctors were required to be at work to carry out a telehealth consultation.
"That is an extremely important development, which is proceeding now at a faster pace than we had previously believed possible," Mr Hunt said.
Mr Hunt also confirmed Australia had ordered 1.5 million COVID-19 tests.
"They will allow us to assist with greater testing of health workers themselves, to give them the confidence, and where appropriate [to test] patients," he said.
On Monday Mr Hunt had flagged an expansion to telehealth services, something Labor has also called for.
"Telehealth is essential to reducing the community spread of COVID-19 and protecting doctors, staff, and patients from this virus. It is all about making the community safer," Labor's health spokesman Chris Bowen said on Monday.
The Health Minister said 147,000 coronavirus pathology tests had been carried out in Australia, equivalent to 0.5 per cent of the population.
Approximately 1.2 per cent of tests were positive for COVID-19.
Mr Hunt said 30 million face masks would arrive in Australia within two weeks, with 54 million masks received by the end of April.
What the experts are saying about coronavirus:
Topics: health, telecommunications, doctors-and-medical-professionals, diseases-and-disorders, covid-19, australia
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