Need Medical Care In Jamaica? There Will Soon be An App For That

DR. WINSTON DAVIDSON IS PREPARING TO ROLL OUT THE APP. (PHOTO CREDIT: JAMAICA OBSERVER)

Respected Jamaican doctor and wellness practitioner Dr. Winston Davidson is gearing up to roll out a new app that will allow people who need urgent medical care to access their doctors around the clock, anywhere in the world.

Doctor On Call is being rolled out in the island’s hospitality sector first.

“If you’re cycling as a tourist up in the hills and you get a chest pain, it’s a phone call away to your doctor. If you’re at a hotel and you dive and get a head injury, it’s a phone call away,” he said while addressing the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.

“Once you get the instant response of the doctor, the doctor is in a position to do a triage to determine what needs to go immediately to a hospital, and what in fact can be treated at the particular site.”

He explained that the platform for the app uses reliable video technology.

“Because it’s video-conferencing, you actually see the patient, the patient sees you, and you’re able to zero in on the problem, and to prepare (for the arrival of an ambulance, etc),” Dr Davidson said while disclosing that patients will also be able to receive prescriptions on their phones.

“Once the prescription is generated, it has all the standards needed, including the doctor’s registration number. It not only has the doctor’s signature, but it is typed (for clarity) and it’s a question of either downloading it or sending it to the pharmacy of your choice,” he said.

According to the Jamaica Observer, Dr Davidson put to rest fears that the new service would be costly, saying it would come at no additional cost to the hotels whose guests access the service.

The innovation has received strong backing from Jamaica’s Health and Wellness Network Committee, which is seeking to transform that country as a major player in the lucrative health and wellness tourism subsector.

Dr Davidson is hoping to roll out the pilot later this year and that other sectors will benefit from the innovation.

“Every category of doctor can use this particular facility. Say, for example, you have a psychiatric patient in prison, you can use this facility to see the patient, communicate with the patient, and treat the patient,” he told the Jamaica Observer.