A health care pilot project using a remote presence robot and focusing on pediatric patients in Pelican Narrows is showing promise, but the technology will not be coming to the Yorkton area any time soon.
Local MLA Greg Ottenbreit, the rural and remote health minister, noted the robot, which allows patients access to specialists without travelling has allowed 63 per cent of children involved in the pilot to be treated in their own community rather than going south to Saskatoon.
鈥淎ccess to care that has come to be expected in most of our province does not exist for many of our Northern communities, the vast majority of which are Indigenous,鈥� said Dr. Veronica McKinney, director of Northern Medical services.
The response to the technology has been very positive according to a Ministry press release.
As part of the pilot, a pediatric intensivist in Saskatoon, Dr. Tanya Holt and a nurse practitioner in Pelican Narrows, Rachel Johnson used have used the technology to assess, manage and triage pediatric patients who would otherwise be considered for transport to more specialized or higher levels of care.
鈥淓very day I witness the health disparities that our patients experience as a result of the distance to specialized services,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 have experienced first-hand the far-reaching benefits of using remote presence technology for our patients, their families, community members, and the nursing team at our health centre. The application of this technology is almost limitless, and it truly has the potential to transform health service delivery, across the entire province.鈥�
In 2014, the Government of Saskatchewan provided funding to Northern Medical Services to purchase the equipment for the pilot. Pelican Narrows was selected due to its remote location and large population of children.
The project is being led by Dr. Ivar Mendez, Fred H. Wigmore professor and unified head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan in partnership with Northern Medical Services and the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.
鈥淩emote presence technology has the potential to be transformative in improving access to primary and specialized health care to underserviced remote and rural communities in Saskatchewan,鈥� Mendez said.
The press release noted the government has committed an additional $500,000 to expand the use of the technology in Saskatchewan鈥檚 north, but Ottenbreit said they have no plans to roll the technology out province-wide.
There is, however, already one of the robots at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre available for medical practitioners to use, but it is mostly used for training nursing students, Ottenbreit said.
