(CBC News) — It was intended as an interim measure to protect people during the pandemic, but now that doctors across Canada have embraced virtual care, some clinicians and patients would like to see it continue.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more than $240 million in funding to expand the capacity for virtual health care by, among other things, creating digital platforms and apps and improving access to online mental health supports.
Moving some services online could ease the burden on the health care system when patients don’t need to see their family physician, pediatrician or nurse practitioner in person.
Dr. Danielle Martin, a family physician with Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, has been delivering virtual care as part of COVID-19 precautions. She says she’s watched an “explosion” in virtual delivery of primary and specialty care across Canada and globally.
“Once you’ve got that relationship established [with a patient], a phone call can go a really long way in solving lots of problems,” Martin said. (…)