InformationThe Republic's first independent, non-commercial health website will be launched by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, tomorrow - myGP.ie is a joint collaboration between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Department of Health.
It is being funded under the Indicative Drug Target Savings (IDTS) scheme, whereby savings made by individual family doctors on their annual drug budgets are reinvested in the development of general practice. Emphasising primary care, the new website aims to provide independent health information to consumers.
"The overall aim is to develop a non-commercial, comprehensive healthcare website which will provide basic health information that is readily accessible and easily intelligible by the general public," said IMO president Dr James Reilly.
Asked what distinguished myGP.ie from other established websites, its medical editor, Cork GP Dr Ronan Boland, said: "the site is non-profit-making and is not sponsored by any commercial interests. We believe it is unique in that it consists of entirely new material on a whole range of medical and health issues which is written by Irish GPs for Irish patients."
With in excess of 1,000 original articles, the site features a Lifestyle section with advice on diet, alcohol and smoking cessation. A section on teenage health covers topics such as rape and "Am I ready for sex?", as well as advice on specific diseases. It also contains comprehensive dietary advice for teenagers. Advice on body odour, flatulence and excessive sweating is available under "Embarrassing Problems" section.
myGP.ie features a number of health calculators, allowing those accessing the site to calculate their risk for cardiac problems, depression and obesity. A 'Doctor Locator' provides guidance on accessing a family doctor. "The idea of the site is not to replace the family doctor but to complement primary care services," Dr Reilly said.
The brainchild of the late Dr Cormac McNamara, a former IMO president, it is intended that the site will evolve according to feedback from its users. GPs will use the website content to generate patient information for use within consultations. IMO sources emphasised the site's confidentiality and the fact that users would not be requested to register online.
Meanwhile, a prescription medicine will be advertised for the first time on television today. Twinrix, a combined vaccination for Hepatitis A and B, will feature in a three-week campaign on RTÉ, TG4 and TV3. Its makers, Glaxo Smith Kline, persuaded the Department of Health and the TV stations that the vaccine campaign would be "in the interest of public health".