This summer, tourists in large parts of West Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Walcheren and the Bevelanden can ask their healthcare questions via the Medicoo app. They will then receive medical advice via chat, in their own language. Recently, the Medicoo app, which has previously been successfully deployed for tourists, namely automatic translation. As tourists are helped through the app, a large proportion of healthcare questions can already be solved online. Thus, the run-up to local GP practices is reduced.
During the high season, there is a substantial influx of tourists in the province of Zeeland. This makes it busier in GP practices. For the Zeeland GP Cooperative (ZHCO-Periscaldes), Nucleuszorg and the GPs in West Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, these were reasons to work with Medicinfo looking at a way to offer digital care for tourists. By deploying the Medicoo app, GP practices will be less burdened and only have to help tourists who need to visit a local practice for physical examinations.
Automatic translation increases accessibility and user-friendliness
Every healthcare query is answered personally by the medical team at Medicinfo, the organisation behind the Medicoo app. The addition of automatic translation allows both patients and healthcare providers to communicate in their own language in the app. This makes the app even more accessible and user-friendly for foreign tourists. This also applies to the foreign-language users of the Medicoo app at GP surgeries, non-nominated patients (NONIs) and Ukrainian guests using Medicoo.
Esther Dees, dispensing general practitioner in Oostkapelle
"A summer without COVID measures is going to be mastered with both a physical holiday doctor and by deploying the Medicoo app. Digitalisation supports GP care in the tourist season. We would like to experience this additional support".
Medicoo now available to non-native speakers
"With the Medicoo app, we have been supporting primary care with remote digital care for several years. In the summer of 2020, the Medicoo app was used for the first time as a holiday doctor in the seaside town of Ouddorp where in the peak season the population increased fivefold. That led to 50% fewer calls to the practice," said Steven van Kemenade, Medical Director at Medicinfo. "By now adding an automatic translation function to this, we can use this service much more widely and also help non-native speaking patients in the holiday regions."
