Not just free home-delivery of pizza. I mean, the whole thing is free – both the pizza and the delivery? I think I’d order it! After all, what’s not to like about completely free pizza that is dropped off on your door step?

But what if you were told that every time you ordered the pizza, $130 was being taken out of schools and hospitals? You might also wonder about the quality of the pizza – after all, a commercial service is all about the profit. You might still be happy to order the pizza.

Then again, you might think twice. We live in a society where we value low-cost and convenience. Financial pressures and busy lives means that affordability and convenience give us back resources and the time we want.

Sometimes, though, what we don’t see is the hidden cost of the “value” and convenience. Fast food is convenient and can seem good value but the long term consequences to our health may be costly to both us and the health system.

That “free home visit” by the doctor-in-a-car? Actual cost to the tax-payer - $129.80. $129.80 that could have been used in our schools and hospitals. This is not to say that home visit medical services aren’t needed. For the vulnerable in our society, like children and the elderly in nursing homes, a home visit can be the difference between having to go to hospital or not. But for the rest of us – it is worth asking the question - is the convenience of having a doctor come to your door worth taking $129.80 out of the public purse? The answer may well be a resounding “yes!”

In some regions, there actually may not be any other option. But in our region, we are fortunate enough to have other options. What are they?

Firstly, an increasing number of general practices in our region operate over extended hours – both during weekday evenings, and on weekends. This is the best choice if your GP offers this, because you get to see a doctor who knows you, and who has access to all your records and medical history.

Secondly, Healthdirect offers telephone advice (1800 022 222), an online symptom checker (healthdirect.gov.au) and smartphone apps, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Finally, GP Access After Hours (GPAAH) is our local, bulk billed, not-for-profit service. It comprises a local call centre (1300 130 147) staffed by registered nurses that is backed up by 250 highly experienced GPs working in five clinics across our region. The service also works in close partnership with the Local Health District to support our local nursing homes.

Of course it is important to ask – what is the real cost of GPAAH?

GPAAH was recently evaluated by Hunter Research Foundation and Hunter Medical Research Institute, and they found that the total cost of running GPAAH was $7.6 million per year. They also found that the cost of providing alternative care if the service did not exist would be $18.1 million. In other words, GPAAH is saving the health system $10.5 million per year.

Next time you are sick in the after-hours period, pause for a moment before you pick up your phone. If available, your own GP is by far the best option. Otherwise, consider using the local service that provides the best mix of quality, convenience, and sustainability for our health system.