COVID-19 Vs the people

It’s the fifth day of doing mostly telephone consultations. Thankfully, almost all patients are completely okay with it. It’s amazing what an experienced GP can do over the phone especially with the convenience of being able to issue electronic prescriptions directly to the pharmacy. However, some patients always need to be seen and we are still seeing a few patients daily.

Those with infection-type symptoms are told to self-isolate for 7 days and those living with them for 14 days if they are not symptomatic. If severe symptoms, then they should contact 111.

Being a GP has sometimes felt like a thankless task over the past few years with increasing workload and even more scrutiny and pressure. It’s not difficult to feel that your work gets taken for granted. Refreshingly, this week I have found patients to be amazingly understanding and thankful for continuing to have access to medical services. People are much more resilient than we think they are; perhaps even more than they themselves think they are. It’s at times like these that brings out the best in people. I have never lived through a war but I wonder if this is how people behaved; supporting each other in adverse circumstances. It has brought people together, perhaps because we are all in the same boat; united against a common enemy.

This is a stark contrast to the scenes in supermarkets nowadays where it seems as if it’s every man for himself! And what’s this fascination for toilet roll?! It has given rise to a whole genre of social media jokes and another meaning to toilet humour!

But joking aside, I spoke today to an elderly lady who has been unable to find any paracetamol to treat her osteoarthritis knee pain. She wondered if I could please prescribe some until the situation dies down and she can buy them herself again. A sign of any civilised society is that we look after our vulnerable people. They need our serious attention right now.

I spoke to another gentleman suffering from palpitations. He would not be able to attend the surgery so he had bought himself a blood pressure machine. I advised him to check his blood pressure and pulse daily for the next one week and let us know the readings. We would then be able to adjust his medication in line with his readings. Just last week, this would have needed a clinic visit to add to our already hard-pressed appointments. Now, on his own initiative under the current circumstances, he will become a partner with us in taking care of his own health.

I think that this pandemic will change people’s behaviour in how they seek healthcare for a generation. I believe that we will become more knowledgeable and self-reliant, and that technology will help. I am sure that this necessity will be the mother of a number of inventions over the coming year. People will take more responsibility for their health and this can only be a good thing.