Hi-tech healthcare: CareHQ with Southern Cross

Words in association with Southern Cross Health Society

While ready access to medical help has rarely been convenient for farmers, now, with just a few taps on their phone, tablet or any smart device, Kiwi farmers can get connected one-on-one with an experienced GP online when they can’t easily access their own GP. CareHQ connects you online with a health professional for convenient, quality healthcare at a time that suits you, and it’s free for Southern Cross Health Insurance members.

CareHQ is a virtual GP consultation service that lets Kiwi farmers access doctor consultations via their phone, tablet or computer, seven days a week, 365 days a year, between 7am to 9pm.

No more waiting for GP appointments or trying to find time during the 9 to 5. Whether it's medical advice, a script for your pharmacy, referral letters or health certificates for your job, CareHQ’s online GP consultation service connects Kiwi farmers with a medical professional when they need it.

The CareHQ virtual GP service, created with the help of Southern Cross, has been in operation for two years (in that time completing more than 36,000 consultations), providing essential consults for New Zealanders as traditional health services found themselves stretched through the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Many of the practices CareHQ supports have faced ongoing high demand for healthcare due to the pressure of the pandemic and the acute current lack of GPs,” says Dr Reza Jarral, clinical director of CareHQ.

“CareHQ is a service that lets rural people access care when they need it. By making it easy to treat those minor issues as they occur, we can reduce the risks of complications and serious health problems, we're going to reduce the time spent off the farm, and we're going to reduce the burden on local emergency services and local GPs who are already stretched as it is.”

Dr Reza says that CareHQ is designed to provide a convenient point of contact for rural communities, but is not intended to take the place of rural brick-and-mortar doctors. “CareHQ works respectfully in collaboration with rural doctors,” he says.

“We are not looking to replace rural doctors; we're looking to support them. We co-design these services directly with them, and we’re not enrolling patients, so we don't take patients away from small general practices in rural New Zealand. Neither do we charge clawbacks to local practices, which is the industry standard.

“The rural community is incredibly important to CareHQ. We want local health professionals and services to survive and flourish and we're here to support their good work.”

CareHQ has now extended its operating hours (from 7am to 9pm), perfect for those people who can't be seen during business hours, and the group has recently rolled out a new injury management service, along with functionality targeted to international visitors who might need extra help navigating the New Zealand healthcare system.