Learn English – What do you call the first doctor that a patient meets

medical

Usually when a person is infected by a disease, they will first visit a nearly hospital or dispensary. In medical terms the first doctor he meets is called something specific.

I remember this word from the book by Richard Preston called The Hot Zone which was about an ebola outbreak many years ago.

Edit: General practitioner is definitely not the word I'm looking for. I am aware of all the terms such as GP, specialist, consultant etc. The word, or term I'm looking for addresses the first point of specialized care a patient encounters. This is called something along the lines of 'initial medical entry point', and the doctors at that point will try their best to contain the disease without letting it spread, based on the diagnosis. Sorry for any confusion.

Best Answer

You might be thinking of 'first responder'

a person (as a police officer or an EMT) who is among those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance

www.miriam-webster.com

Or you might be thinking of a 'triage team'

triage in Medicine

noun A process for sorting injured people into groups based on their need for or likely benefit from immediate medical treatment. Triage is used on the battlefield, at disaster sites, and in hospital emergency rooms when limited medical resources must be allocated.

www.dictionary.com

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