Kildare Post Office opens first ever online GP service

The first ever online GP Postmaster Service has launched in Kildare today.

VideoDoc offers a medical consultation from the convenience of the Post Office, from a private medical booth, called 'The Hub'.

It is the first of its kind for Postmasters and the trial will be monitored for its suitability for national rollout to other members of the Irish Postmasters' Union.

Mary O'Brien is CEO of VidDoc: "I suppose it depends on the patient. In the NHS they say that everything that is treated oir 60-70% of illnesses or medical conditions that are treated during an insurgery visit, can be treated by telephone.

"So talking to an experienced doctor by the telephone and obviously then a video connection adds another aspect to that.

"So there is a whole range of health and wellness issues that can be treated."

Welcoming the launch, the Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU), General Secretary Ned O’Hara, said:“Postmasters are the heart of rural communities that struggle to access vital services such as a GP consultation. The IPU looks forward to monitoring the success of this pilot and to its expansion across the Network.”