How to see an online doctor on your phone in South Africa

Choose the next available time or select a time on the booking page. Availability, the minimum booking notice and the clinician’s existing bookings determine which slots can be selected. Enter an email address and phone number you can access, and explain your main concern.

An online GP can assess suitable non-emergency problems and decide whether advice, medication, a certificate, a referral or an in-person examination is appropriate. Booking does not guarantee a prescription or sick note.

Charge the phone and find a private, well-lit place with a stable connection. Have your medicine names, allergies and relevant readings ready. Open your appointment link in a current browser, and allow camera and microphone access when asked.

If the link opens inside an email or social app and the call does not work, try opening the same appointment link in your phone’s browser. Check that another app is not using the microphone or camera.

Keep your appointment page available around the booked time. When the doctor opens the consultation, the page provides the available join option. Opening a link is not confirmation that you and the doctor have connected: check that you can both hear one another.

If the connection drops, return to the appointment page and try the join option again. Use a backup option only if it is offered there or arranged with the doctor. Contact the practice if you cannot connect; do not assume that a failed call has automatically cancelled the booking or refunded a payment.

hiDoc is not an emergency service. For chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding or another emergency, call 10177 or go to the nearest emergency department rather than waiting for an online appointment.