Patients in Wales afraid to visit GP or go to hospital because of coronavirus, doctor says
Patients are afraid of visiting their GP or going to hospital because of coronavirus and do not want to burden the NHS, a leading doctor has said.
Dr Robert Morgan, of the Royal College of General Practitioners Wales, said: ''I think when we speak to patients who are phoning us up daily now, they are afraid of coming to us.
''They are afraid of coming into the general practice, they are certainly afraid of going into hospital.
''There is another element, particularly in the elderly population who are contacting us, they don't want to burden us because we are busy as a health service.''
Dr Morgan, who is a GP in Bridgend, made the comments to members of the Senedd's Health, Social Care and Sport Committee.
The committee heard attendance to A&E departments in Wales has also fallen. The Welsh Government say attendance to emergency departments has fallen by 50% since the pandemic started.
Seeking to reassure the population, the Welsh Government say emergency services have been prioritised during the pandemic with ''all measures to cleanse facilities'' being taken.
Speaking at Thursday's daily press conference, NHS Wales CEO Dr Andrew Goodall said ''the NHS remains open and available to people who need emergency treatment and care.''
Dr Morgan told the committee that there was one ''slight positive'' that some patients might now be managing minor illnesses instead of contacting their GP or visiting a pharmacy.
''Those behaviours might be something that people can take forward,'' he said.