Getting a same-day doctor's appointment or finding a GP who can take on new patients has become a challenge these days. In many European countries, video consultations have become an acceptable solution, but our country has yet to embrace this trend. That being said, over 50% of the population in Belgium is open to this solution. Did you know that you can provide telemedicine consultations via their MyAG Employee Benefits app?
The always on-call GP is a thing of the past. Because doctors are also entitled to a healthy work-life balance. The downside is that it has now become harder to get access to medical care. This is clear from the iVOX survey commissioned by AG and Doktr. For example, 1 out of 10 people in Belgium no longer have a regular GP1.
The vast majority of this group simply cannot find a GP anymore. The rest are on a waiting list. This dire situation comes as no surprise: 75% of GPs in Belgium aren't accepting new patients, or under very strict conditions only2. 2.5 million people in Belgium don't have a doctor to manage their Global Medical Record (GMD)3.
Same-day appointment, wishful thinking?
Having a regular GP no longer means that it's easy to get an appointment. In many Belgian municipalities, waiting times can be up to several weeks. So it's hardly surprising that a recent Municipal and City Report3 highlighted a 15% drop in satisfaction with GP availability in the past three years. Unfortunately, there's no immediate improvement in sight, as doctors who retire aren't being replaced.
Growing openness to video consultations
In this changing landscape, it's important for society to adapt to the new reality. In neighbouring countries, videoconsultations are increasingly becoming part of the solution. After a slow start, willingness now seems to be on the rise in Belgium too. More than half of all people in Belgium (53%) now report that they are open to telemedicine consultations1.
That's a 25% increase compared to a 2020 survey by Proximus for the launch of Doktr - albeit in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. However, there are clear regional differences: in Wallonia, this openness is the lowest (44.6%). Demographic characteristics also have an impact. The younger and more educated a patient is, the more likely they are to be open to video consultations.
However, only 5% of the survey respondents reported ever having a video consultation with a GP. This is hardly surprising, since very few GPs currently offer video consultations in their practices. Telephone consultations are more common (96.5% of all remote consultations), even though they don't allow for visual examination and often disrupt in-person consultations.
People in Belgium are more likely to try video consultations for issues such as (in order of decreasing importance): renewing a prescription, advice and/or treatment for infections (e.g. flu, common cold), advice and/or treatment for physical symptoms (e.g. stomachache, headache), help interpreting examinations and test results (e.g. blood test results) and advice on medication and side effects.
AG and Doktr offer remote access to quality care
AG feels a responsibility to reflect on the challenges and the future of healthcare in Belgium and to anticipate new needs that arise.
In this case, there is a need for flexible solutions that can complement the existing healthcare system in Belgium.
This is what prompted us last year to integrate the Doktr video consultation app in My Care by AG, an additional service in our MyAG Employee Benefits app.
With the "digital doctor" feature included in My Care, it's easy to fit in a consultation in between work and personal obligations.
My Care Premium by AG, the best medical support!
Early access to medical advice and prompt treatment can prevent serious health problems. They speed up the recovery process and reduce the risk of long-term sick leave.
All the more reason to choose My Care Premium by AG. With this service, your employees get two free video consultations every year! Along with a state-of-the-art Symptom Checker that provides them with high-quality medical information on the possible causes of their symptoms.
Want to raise your profile as a caring employer? Then make an appointment with your regular contact person today to see what My Care Premium by AG can do for your company.
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1 Online survey carried out by iVOX, commissioned by AG Insurance and Doktr, between 8 and 21 May 2024 with a representative sample (region, gender, age and education level) of 2,000 people in Belgium. The maximum margin or error (2,000 respondents) is 2.19 %
2 Survey by FPS Public Health: https://www.health.belgium.be/sites/default/files/uploads/fields/fpshealth_theme_file/20230417_nl_im_associates_-_rapport_tijdsindeling_huisartsen.pdf
3 Your municipality in a nutshell (2024). Gemeente-stadsmonitor Vlaanderen. https://gemeente-stadsmonitor.vlaanderen.be/