While Ukrainians spend several days trying to make an appointment for a consultation or an appointment with a doctor, to get an e-prescription, it turns out that it can be done very quickly, but for 200 hryvnias.

Available urgent online consultations with a doctor have been added to the Helsi application.

As stated in the ad, such consultations do not require waiting for several days - they promise to find a doctor in a few minutes.

"We at Helsi have launched a new service that will help you get an online consultation with a professional doctor in the shortest possible time. The doctor can write a prescription or a referral, which will be saved in your personal account," the announcement states.

Consultation services are paid - 200 hryvnias.

Which really infuriates people.

The Ministry of Health could not comment on this situation, noting that it is a private initiative.

We asked the company's management why a paid service appeared?

After all, it costs 200 hryvnias.

The doctor immediately issues an e-prescription.

Helsi notes that this is a coincidence of the launch of two products.

"Helsi is growing and introducing various services for patients and opportunities for doctors. Paid consultations for patients were planned long before the launch, and were tested in March. Its purpose is to help patients with urgent cases that can be helped directly online. At the same time, free scheduled consultations continue consultations, for which you need to make an appointment with a doctor in advance. If you don't have time to wait, you can use a paid service. Moreover, this is an additional opportunity for doctors to earn additional income," Olena Gubych, Helsi's marketing director, explains to TSN.ua.

She adds that you can make an appointment with your family doctor (or any other doctor) through scheduled free consultations at a time convenient to the doctor's schedule.

Urgent consultations do not involve the selection of a specific doctor, but only his specialization.

As for the e-prescription, the company notes: a doctor cannot write an e-prescription during an online consultation, he can only extend the effect of the previous prescription (that is, write a repeat prescription).

"Of course, both scheduled free and urgent paid consultations are not suitable for all cases. For example, if these are seasonal diseases, or some typical ones, when the doctor immediately understands the condition from the patient's words and can make a diagnosis - an online consultation will help. Or the doctor can write out a referral to a narrow specialist. At the same time, if the case is complex and requires the physical presence of the patient, an online consultation will not help here, as an offline diagnosis is required," Olena Gubych explains.

After publicity, the announcement was changed 

It is interesting that initially in the advertisement from Helsi, where paid services were advertised, it was indicated that the doctor can also write a prescription during such an online consultation.

However, it is currently stated that the "urgent" doctor has the right only to extend the existing prescription, but you will have to go to your family doctor for a new one. 

As a reminder, from April 1, 2023, all prescription drugs in Ukraine can 

be dispensed only with a prescription

.

Currently, e-prescription and paper prescription are valid. 

Read also:

Queues and excitement in pharmacies due to e-prescription: what the Ministry of Health thinks about it

Excitement due to electronic prescriptions: a popular painkiller has disappeared from pharmacies

"Nimesyl is the new buckwheat": Ukrainians exploded with memes due to the sale of prescription drugs (photo)