Family doctors: Patients can’t find appointments, queues are getting longer

The Federation of Family Physicians Associations (AHEF) stated that there is an intensity in family health centers (FHC) due to a significant increase in cases of flu (influenza) and other upper respiratory tract infections, making the system overwhelmed.

The president of AHEF, reminded everyone that it is everyone’s responsibility to alleviate the patient load in FHCs: “Patients cannot find appointments, and queues are forming at FHC doors. Patients who cannot afford to wait, as they need immediate treatment, are leaving without accessing healthcare.”

The flu typically presents with a sudden onset of fever, widespread body aches, headache, throat pain, and sometimes runny nose. As a viral disease, it can resolve on its own, but it may progress more severely in high-risk individuals. It can also lead to pneumonia, middle ear infection, bronchitis, or bronchiolitis. The president, emphasizing that not every complaint requires a visit to a healthcare facility, continued: “Most upper respiratory tract illnesses resolve on their own. If symptoms persist for more than a week, if the fever does not subside despite treatment, if coughing increases and intensifies, especially if there is difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, or if there are conditions like rapid breathing or difficulty breathing in children under 2 years old and in high-risk individuals (such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, etc.), it is necessary to seek medical attention.”