Government Increasing Access to Health Care Through Virtual Care Contract

The Provincial Government has signed a contract valued at $11 million annually to Teladoc to provide virtual technology, as well as physician coverage for two years.

The new virtual care solution will launch this fall for rural areas and residents who do not have a primary care provider.

The virtual care service will include primary care for residents who do not have a primary care provider and have registered on Patient Connect. This access will be through a virtual physician available Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

There will also be a virtual emergency room that will ensure virtual physician coverage 24 hours per day, seven days per week to emergency departments in select rural health care facilities. The service will begin with the launch of the Virtual Emergency Room at the Dr. Y. K. Jeon Kittiwake Health Centre in New-Wes-Valley this week.

Residents who are registered through Patient Connect or other provincial wait lists and have a valid MCP will receive a letter in the mail informing them of how they can access the virtual care service. This will be rolled out in the upcoming months, with the first eligible residents receiving a letter in the upcoming weeks.