‘Don’t let virus fears stop you contacting doctor if you are ill’
ISLANDERS must still contact their doctor if they are ill, or they might be putting their health at risk, Guernsey’s medical director, Dr Peter Rabey, has warned.
Some doctors have tested positive for Covid-19.
He said the risks to staff and patients were being managed carefully and people must contact a doctor in the normal way, or risk serious complications.
‘If you need medical help, please get it,’ he said.
‘We are seeing some people presenting late, with things that would have been simple to treat if they presented in a normal way, limb-threatening type injuries that could have been prevented, because people are frightened to go to their doctor and frightened to come to the Emergency Department.
‘Please, if you think you need medical help, get it. It’s perfectly safe to get it. We’ll look after you. Everyone’s taking the right precautions. Staying at home and hoping it’s nothing is not the way to manage.’
Dr Rabey confirmed that some doctors had tested positive for Covid-19, although it was not said which surgery or surgeries they worked at.
He said it was good that a dedicated surgery at the Longfrie had been opened early to help split people with respiratory illnesses onto a dedicated site.
‘People were seen there with personal protective equipment being used, and that is still going on at the Chest and Heart clinic,’ he said.
‘But that doesn’t mean the people who go to the other clinic are completely risk-free for the staff there, so they are taking appropriate precautions at the other practices as well, doing as much as possible remotely.’
He said if doctors and nurses returned a positive result, they did not return to work until they tested negative.
