GPs to deal with ‘swine’ flu cases
As of tomorrow you should contact your GP if you think you have the illness– but doctors fear they might be overwhelmed
FROM tomorrow GPs will be people’s main port of call if they suspect they have caught “swine” flu.
The change – until now people had been urged to call “15” and arrange for a hospital visit – has caused concern among some GPs who fear they will be swamped with appointments and phone calls.
Your GP will now decide on whether you need antiviral treatment to ease symptoms like a cough and fever and they will be able to give a prescription to collect a free face mask from the pharmacy and give advice on how to avoid spreading the illness.
Only in the most serious cases, or for children under one, will the GP send the patient to hospital.
However, GPs fear so many people are likely to get the flu – called Grippe A in France - that it will be hard for them to manage them all. They are also concerned that ignorance about the illness, which is generally considered no more dangerous than an ordinary bout of flu, could lead to numerous phone calls.
They are calling on the Health Ministry to put out very clear messages about the flu as to what people need to do and to put in place a hotline to answer questions.
