Tossing a sick person has gained new meaning in the past two years, but reporting sick at work is easier than ever.
A groundbreaking phone app designed by three pharmacists allows Australians to report sick without leaving their beds.
The app, Sicky, connects patients with pharmacists for a free video call health assessment. The patients are asked a few questions, with which the pharmacists can determine whether they are too ill to work or study.
Co-founder of the Camera IconSicky app, Avinash Vazirani, said the groundbreaking app would ease the pressure on doctors and dramatically reduce infectious activity in waiting rooms. Credit: News Corp Australia
Avinash Vazirani, the co-founder of the Sicky app, said he and his two co-founders created the app to free up waiting rooms and relieve pressure on doctors.
“Whether it’s a deadly migraine or this season’s flu, Sicky makes sense compared to a face-to-face conversation with a health professional,” he said.
“Open the app from the comfort of your home, answer a few simple questions with one of our health professionals, and you’ll be sick in minutes.”
Mr. Vazirani believes the app “on its own will help prevent the spread of viruses and other diseases” by removing the need to visit a doctor or pharmacist when sick and contagious.
The app was an Australian first that would save people time, money, and an inconvenient visit to the local GP, he said.
Camera icon With the Sicky app, people can request a sick leave certificate for up to two days. Rob Leeson Credit: News Corp Australia
A sick leave certificate from Sicky costs users $19.95, but Mr. Vazirani noted that doctors could charge up to $60 for an appointment.
“When you consider how much $36.30 of that $60 amount is what the government pays, you’re helping our economy by putting less of a burden on our health care system,” he said.
To ease the burden on busy doctors, Sicky employs pharmacists who can issue sick leave certificates and assess conditions that do not require a physical examination.
“Pharmacists go through four years of qualifications, and there are many conditions in primary care that we can assess by speaking and seeing the patient,” said Mr Vazirani.
The app also provides insight into when and why people get sick. It was launched just after the Covid outbreak and has been used by over 30,000 Australians.
Camera icon The app’s makers believe it will reduce the spread of infectious viruses in doctors’ waiting rooms. iStock Credit: Included
Unsurprisingly, data from the app showed that the number of people seeking sick notes rose dramatically after a holiday. Sicky registered a 42 percent increase in people calling in sick to work after a long weekend.
“Often it’s because our patients have had too much to drink or mixed with contagious people while socializing,” Mr. Vazirani said.
With this groundbreaking app, Australians don’t have to get out of bed to get a sick report to send to their bosses.
