Not feeling well and needing a doctor’s help is not a situation anyone truly wants to be in, to begin with. But getting sick during the weekend and being unable to contact your doctor, is a whole different horror story. All the extra stress and worry that comes along with it, makes any bad situation even worse. When it comes to health, you need a sense of security, to know that good advice and help are there whenever you need it.
Not to mention, there are many other things you might need during the weekend that require your doctor’s assistance – such as opening a sick leave or renewing your prescription drugs. But there is no option to get a hold of your physician since family doctors don’t work during the weekend.
What to do if you need medical help or advice during the weekend?
One of your options is to visit the emergency room (EMO). EMO accepts adults and children who have health problems that need quick attention. Wait time on the spot depends on the seriousness of your health problem. It can be anywhere from 1-6 hours. If they can’t help you, they will give you a recommendation for a specialist doctor. We understand that this is usually the last solution anybody likes to turn to, but as it is sometimes necessary, we’ve listed all the ERs in Estonia in this blog post.
But what if there was an alternative that is just like getting help from your family doctor, but it is available to you during the weekends as well? Your answer is telemedicine.
Telehealth is an innovative way of offering health-related services and information via electronic technologies, such as computers, smartphones or tablets. All you need is an internet connection. It makes getting medical help faster and easier. Allowing the patient to get advice, care and monitoring from a long distance. Oftentimes making that the better option, since you don’t have to leave your home already feeling unwell.
Salu offers telehealth services, where you can get quality primary health care 7 days a week with an option to visit their clinic for a check-up or analysis. You can get in touch with one of their doctors via online chat and get the help you need in less than 30 minutes. The online visit is exactly like a regular consultation with a doctor – medical staff will help you understand the root causes of the health problem and find a solution through a conversation. Over 80% of all health-related concerns can be solved without actually going to your doctor’s office. With Salu, there is no need to wait for Monday or visit an emergency room if your problem can be solved from the comfort of your own home.
88% of all the medical issues our doctors dealt with during the past 6 months, were solved online.
What to do when you need to open a sick leave during the weekend?
Maybe you are expected to work on a Saturday, but your child is not feeling well and you need to stay at home. In that case, your doctor can issue a certificate of incapacity for work beginning on a weekend day. That can be done if the patient has, for example, visited the hospital’s emergency room or called an ambulance and has been issued a certificate for that. That certificate has to be taken to your family doctor within two days. Then your doctor can open a sick leave.
You can also use telemedicine services, like Salu, where you can start a sick leave online with the help of a doctor. You can do this straight through your mobile or tablet device on the same day, without having to travel or wait in the doctor’s office. However, please bear in mind that the initial sick leave can be opened for 3 days. If you need to prolong the sick leave further, you might be asked to come for a physical checkup. Salu is a great substitute for a family doctor when needed.
What to do when you need to get/renew prescription drugs during the weekend?
What if you realize on Friday evening that you have run out of your prescription drugs, which you need to take daily. Issuing prescription drugs requires the medical approval of a doctor, but your family doctor isn’t available til Monday. The frustration and inconvenience such a situation can create. Telemedicine is a great solution to this problem.
You can get prescription drugs through your online visit based on medical needs with Salu. This includes both – first-time prescriptions and renewing existing ones. You can get a hold of a doctor via online chat. Salu’s medical specialist will have a conversation with you and, based on that, decide if to issue or renew the prescription. It’s a quick and easy fix to your problem.
Salu knows that health problems don’t take the weekend off
We usually tend to get sick at the most inconvenient times. Viruses that lurk around don’t care if it’s a weekend or a holiday. So being able to get in touch with your doctor whenever and wherever you need to, adds a big element of safety to your everyday life.
Using Salu as your primary healthcare provider allows you to be able to reach your doctor every day. May it be to get medical advice, open sick leave or renew a prescription. No need to sit in traffic to go to the emergency room or have to wait till the weekend is over. It is possible to get help for your health on Saturday and Sunday too!
