Most doctors in Egypt already consult remotely, just without any structure: a photo of a lab result on WhatsApp at midnight, a call about a dose, a voice note from a worried parent. No appointment, no fee, nothing in the patient's file. An organised online consultation turns that into a real visit, with a time, a price, a record and clear limits.
This guide walks through starting your own clinic online: which cases fit and which do not, the professional rules to respect, pricing, payment, setup and record keeping. To see the tool itself, read about online consultations for doctors in TabeebHub.
The short answer: use online consultations mainly to follow up your patients and review results, set a clear price, have the patient pay your clinic before the room opens, keep everything in the patient's record, and ask the patient to come in whenever their condition needs an examination.
Your clinic online, not a job on a platform
Search "online work for doctors" and you mostly find platforms that hire doctors to answer patients they have never met, at a price the platform sets. Opening your own clinic to online consultations is a different model:
| A platform that hires doctors | Your clinic online | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the price? | Usually the platform | You |
| Patients | The platform's | Yours, plus anyone who reaches your page |
| The patient record | Held by the platform | In the patient's file at your clinic |
| Payment | The platform pays you | The patient pays your clinic directly |
The second model will not necessarily find you new patients, but it gives you full control of your price and your relationship with your patients, and every consultation becomes part of the patient's history with you.
Which cases fit, and which do not
Usually a good fit
- Follow-up after an examination: a patient you have seen in clinic who needs a check on how treatment is going.
- Reviewing lab and imaging results, especially when the next step is clear from the result.
- Chronic conditions: regular blood pressure or glucose readings and questions about sticking to treatment.
- Questions after a procedure: checking that recovery is on track.
- Specialties built on conversation, such as counselling and nutrition.
- Patients who have moved away, to another governorate or abroad.
Not a good fit
- Emergencies: chest pain, difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding, any risk to life. An online consultation is not an emergency service; the patient should call 123 (Egyptian ambulance) or go to the nearest hospital.
- A diagnosis that needs a physical examination: if the decision depends on what you can see and feel in the room, an online consultation does not replace a visit.
- Procedures: anything that needs an instrument or equipment in the clinic.
You can always end a consultation and ask the patient to come to the clinic or a hospital if that is safer.
Professional rules
This article is not legal advice. Medical practice in Egypt, online or in person, is governed by the Egyptian Medical Syndicate's code of professional ethics (opens in new tab) and Ministry of Health rules. The code restricts diagnosing and prescribing without examining the patient, and restricts medical advertising. So:
- Read the code in full on the syndicate's site, and ask your syndicate or the competent authority about your own situation.
- Treat online consultations as an extension of your relationship with your patients, not a substitute for examination.
- Do not commit to a diagnosis that needs an examination first; ask the patient to come in.
- Dentists, veterinarians and psychologists should check the rules of their own syndicate or licensing body.
How to price an online consultation
Egyptian patients distinguish the kashf (first visit, with an examination fee) from the estesharah (a return visit for follow-up). The same logic works online, so TabeebHub lets you set two prices:
- A first online visit, for a patient asking about something new.
- An online follow-up, for a patient you already treat.
When setting them, think about:
- Time: the consultation length you set, plus the time you spend reading results beforehand.
- Your in-clinic fee: many doctors keep the online price close to their in-clinic follow-up, because their time is the same.
- The platform fee: a flat amount per block of call time that does not change with your price (see below).
The patient sees the price before sending the request, and it is the full price of the consultation. TabeebHub sets a minimum price, and consultations cannot be offered for free. Each confirmed consultation counts toward your plan's monthly appointments, like any other appointment.
How the patient pays
In TabeebHub the patient pays your clinic directly. TabeebHub never takes money from the patient and never holds it:
- The patient requests a consultation from your page and picks the time and type.
- You accept the request, or it is accepted automatically within your hours if you turn that on.
- The patient sees the payment details you entered, an InstaPay address or a mobile wallet number, with your instructions. These never appear on your public page.
- The patient pays within the payment window you set and reports the payment.
- Your staff confirm the money arrived, the consultation is confirmed, and the patient's full phone number becomes visible to the clinic.
You set the cancellation and refund rules, and the patient sees them before paying: how long they can cancel free of charge, and whether a cancellation is refunded. If the doctor does not show up, the clinic refunds the patient. The terms patients accept are published in the online consultation terms.
Online consultation fees: how the platform charges
TabeebHub takes no percentage of your consultation price. Instead it charges you a flat platform fee per block of call time from a consultation balance you top up in advance. The fee is the same whatever you charge the patient. It is deducted when a consultation is confirmed, for the first block of call time, and returned to your balance if the call does not take place. The current amount is shown in your consultation settings before you switch the service on.
What you need technically
- A device and a browser: consultations run in the browser on a computer or phone, with nothing to install, for you and for the patient. TabeebHub's apps work too.
- A stable connection, especially for video. Voice or chat are practical alternatives on a weak connection.
- A quiet room and headphones, for the patient's privacy first of all.
- Your modes: choose what you offer: video, voice, or chat with messages and files.
- Separate online hours: in TabeebHub your online hours are set apart from your clinic hours. Many doctors prefer evening consultations from home.
The room opens a few minutes before the appointment, and a video call has a maximum length so it never runs into the next patient. Video and voice calls are not recorded, neither by TabeebHub nor by the clinic.
Records and prescriptions
An online consultation in TabeebHub is a real visit in the patient's file. Chat messages and files from the patient, your notes and any prescription you write are kept in their record at your clinic, exactly as after an in-clinic visit. You write the prescription on the same electronic prescription screen, with allergy and interaction alerts, and the patient sees it in their app.
Step by step in TabeebHub
- Sign up free and publish your page, then verify your account with your syndicate registration or practising licence. Consultations do not open before verification.
- Turn on consultations: choose your modes, set the two prices, the consultation length, your online hours, payment details and cancellation rules.
- Top up your consultation balance so the platform fee is covered when each consultation is confirmed.
- Share your page. Patients request consultations from the same page they use to book clinic visits. If you already have online booking, the second door sits next to it.
- Join the room on time, then complete your notes and prescription.
If you work in more than one clinic, your patients see one consultation door for you, not one per clinic. You can also pause consultations while you travel or take leave.
FAQ
Are online consultations legal in Egypt?
We cannot give legal advice, and we recommend checking with your syndicate and the competent authority. Remote consultations are common in Egypt; what matters is following the code of professional ethics, using online consultations mainly for follow-ups and result reviews, and asking the patient to come in whenever their condition needs an examination.
How should I price an online consultation?
Set two prices: a first online visit and an online follow-up. Start from your in-clinic fees and the time a consultation really takes, because your time is the same. The patient sees the full price before sending the request.
How does the patient pay?
Directly to your clinic, by InstaPay or mobile wallet, using the details you enter, which the patient sees after you accept. Your staff confirm the payment before the room opens. TabeebHub never holds patient money.
Are the calls recorded?
No. Video and voice calls are not recorded. Chat messages, files, the doctor's notes and the prescription are kept in the patient's record at the clinic, as after any visit.
Which cases should not be handled online?
Emergencies (the patient should call 123), conditions whose diagnosis needs a physical examination, and procedures. The doctor can end a consultation at any time and ask the patient to come in.
Does the platform take a percentage?
No. TabeebHub charges a flat platform fee per block of call time from a prepaid balance, the same whatever your price. The whole consultation price is paid by the patient to your clinic.
To get started, read the details of online consultations in TabeebHub, or start free and set up your page today.