Why Seeing a Doctor From Your Couch Could Save You Time, Money – and Your Health

There was a time when seeing a doctor meant rearranging your entire day: taking time off work, sitting in traffic, and waiting for hours in a crowded clinic. But that reality is rapidly changing, thanks to the growing adoption of virtual healthcare across South Africa. From consulting a doctor to renewing a script or tracking chronic conditions, much of what once demanded a face-to-face appointment can now happen on your phone.

But should we be trading hands-on care for healthcare on a screen? The answer, it turns out, is a lot more nuanced — and more beneficial — than you might think.

Virtual care is not just a Zoom call with your GP. It refers to a broad spectrum of digital health services — including nurse-led consultations, doctor visits, health assessments, pathology referrals, and chronic condition management — that are accessed remotely via apps or web platforms.

“People often think virtual care is second-best, but in many cases, it’s actually more efficient and more empowering for patients,” says Tania Joffe, founder of Unu Health. “The technology allows for faster access to clinical care, better health tracking, and fewer disruptions to daily life.”

South Africans are no strangers to healthcare challenges — from overburdened public hospitals to expensive private consultations. In-person doctor visits can range from R300 to over R1,000, excluding time off work, travel costs and then the medication.

Virtual consultations, in contrast, can cost less than a third of that, depending on the platform. More importantly, they save time. “When you can log into a consultation in under 10 minutes, from home or the office on your phone, it eliminates the biggest barrier to early intervention: convenience,” Joffe explains.

The modern smartphone is no longer just a communication tool — it’s a diagnostic ally. Digital platforms increasingly offer features like blood pressure readings, pulse rate checks, oxygen saturation estimates, and even the ability to access pathology tests, ordered and paid for from your phone on-demand. The user experience could entail: ‘worried about my dizzy spells, check my blood pressure on an app using smartphone face scan technology, see a result out of range, and order a hypertension blood test panel right there from my phone. Then visit the lab to have my blood drawn and receive results within 24 hours.

Critics of virtual care argue that it lacks the personal touch or diagnostic depth of an in-person visit. And in some cases, they’re right: there are conditions that require a physical examination.

But proponents of virtual care say that’s missing the point.

“Virtual care isn’t meant to replace the in-person traditional services — it’s meant to offer an appropriate alternative for many conditions that can be supported virtually – up to between 73% (1*)and 83% day-to-day acute conditions can be treated remotely, with research showing that less that 16% of these result in an in-person follow up within 30 days. supported remotely, “It’s your front door to the healthcare system. You get quick access when it matters and escalate to in-person care only when it’s clinically necessary.”

If you’ve ever delayed a doctor’s visit because you were too busy, couldn’t afford the consultation, or didn’t want to wait in a clinic all day, the answer is yes.

South Africa is still in the early stages of adopting virtual healthcare at scale with 1 in 5 (2*) medical aid members accessing virtual care, but only 5% of those without medical aid are taking advantage as no one is invested in creating awareness in this uninsured population, but momentum is growing. Employers are offering it as a benefit, families are embracing it for routine care, and digital literacy continues to rise.

“Virtual care isn’t the future,” Joffe says. “It’s already here. And in a world that’s always online, it makes sense that our healthcare should be too.”

Note: Virtual care is not suitable for emergencies. Always seek in-person assistance for urgent medical situations.

For more information, please visit www.unuhealth.org