The word from Belgium where video consultations are being looked at as a solution for part-time GPs and the pressures of mass migration on local health services in particular areas.
To strengthen its shareholding, AG, leader in the Belgian insurance market, is taking a stake in the Belgian video consultation app Doktr. Proximus, which launched the Doktr app in 2021, is also participating in this investment. Together with CM Health Fund and Solidaris, there are now 4 major Belgian players in the field of health and economy who believe in and invest in the development of a hybrid care model. The closing of this transaction, which will be submitted to the competent regulatory authorities for approval, is expected in the coming weeks.
1 in 2 Belgians ready for video consultation in a context where medicine is under pressure
Access to general practitioners has been under pressure in certain regions of Belgium for several years. According to the most recent figures from the NIHDI, 117 Flemish municipalities out of 300 municipalities fall under the term GP poor. That amounts to almost 40% of Flanders. 1 The situation is particularly worrying in the provinces of Antwerp and Flemish Brabant. In addition, an analysis by Domus Medica shows that the actual number of available general practitioners in some municipalities is 20 to 30% lower than the official figures suggest, partly due to part-time work or inactive doctors. This points to a structural problem in the accessibility of primary care in Flanders. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a GP who accepts new patients at all or to make an appointment quickly.
Video consultations, part of the solution
A study by Doktr and AG shows that almost half of Belgians are open to video consultation as a supplement to physical care. And the people who try it out are generally convinced:
- As many as 97% of Doktr users say they are satisfied with their experience.
- Since the launch of the app, more than 400,000 downloads have already been registered.
- The number of consultations via the Doktr app (general practitioners and psychologists) is increasing year after year.
Concrete investment in a hybrid care model
Because AG believes in the future of hybrid healthcare and after several years of successful collaboration, the insurer today announces its concrete investment in Doktr and in the development of video consultation in Belgium. AG is thus demonstrating its conviction that teleconsultation can be a flexible and intelligent addition to physical consultations in primary care, not only with general practitioners but also with other healthcare providers such as psychologists.
Doktr, Proximus, AG, CM Health Fund and Solidaris strongly believe in supporting and strengthening primary care through digital video consultations, as a complementary solution, not as a replacement.
Be the first to comment