Dublin Fingal TD, Alan Farrell has urged the public to have conditions or non-Covid symptoms checked by a doctor.
Deputy Farrell said, “It is understandable for people to have a degree of caution about putting themselves at risk by attending their GP, however this should not extend to the detriment of their own health.”
“It is vital that if someone is experiencing symptoms, they act upon it by visiting their GP as they normally would. By not acting upon warning signs people can risk long-term health issues.”
Deputy Farrell continued, “We have seen decreases in the number of referrals to diagnostic services, including cancer diagnostics and a recent survey carried out by NUI Galway and DCU, revealed that one third of participants had deferred a GP check-up.”
“So often, catching conditions early is crucial to an individual making a speedy recovery, by postponing GP visits despite experiencing symptoms, we can have a real and potentially dangerous impact on our quality of life.”
Deputy Farrell concluded, “We should not jeopardise our health by ignoring warning signs and I hope that as we begin to reopen our society, people will be encouraged to seek medical advice if they are concerned about their health.”