Patients cannot book GP appointments despite online option

At most health clinics, patients cannot book an available appointment with a family doctor through Heilsuvera, even though the option is open to users, mbl.is reports.

At some clinics, users can select the option to book a family doctor appointment, but the calendar shows no available times, even when they search several months ahead.

Guðmundur Jóhannsson, communications director for digital health at the Ministry of Health, said appointment systems vary between health clinics because each has decided how bookings should work.

“There is no single central rule today that says how this should be done,” Guðmundur said. Some clinics allow patients to book certain appointments, while others prioritise bookings and contact patients before scheduling a visit.

He agreed that the system could be clearer and more consistent, but said coordination was complicated because many different parties operate health clinics. The Capital Area Health Care Service runs numerous clinics, while four privately operated clinics are located in the capital area and other clinics operate around the country.

“There are quite a lot of them, and responsibility is distributed between regions, which makes coordination more difficult,” he said.

Guðmundur said the lack of consistency could mean that users experience Heilsuvera differently depending on which clinic they are registered with. He said he had experienced this himself.

“After I changed health clinics, everything was suddenly completely different, simply because I moved between neighbourhoods,” he said.

Changes are planned for digital health services. The login section of Heilsuvera, the online health service portal, will be discontinued, with its functionality moved to Mínar síður on Ísland.is.

“I think this is a turning point in creating consistency and saying that this is how it should be,” Guðmundur said.

In the first phase, all the functionality currently available in Heilsuvera’s login section will be transferred to the new location. Health services will be given a dedicated section under “Health”.

Guðmundur said the change would also require discussions with the different healthcare providers to agree on how the service should operate.