Many Canadians welcomed virtual health care. Where does it fit in the system now? – CBC
Pandemic-driven shift opened doors that many Canadians don’t want to see closed
Feb 04, 2023
Having the option to speak with her doctor over the phone for basic check-ins and requests has freed up Shawna Ford’s energy for tasks she’d prefer doing.
“Normally, to go into the city, I don’t do anything the day before. I don’t do anything a few days after because it totally drains me. So having those phone appointments is amazing,” the Alberta woman, 62, told White Coat, Black Art.
“The Zoom appointments with a psychiatrist have also just freed up so much of my energy that I can use, you know, on things that I want to do,” she added. “Functional energy, I guess.”
Ford, who has diagnoses of major depressive disorder and myalgic encephalomyelitis, the latter causing extreme fatigue, still visits her doctor in person when necessary. But the pandemic-driven shift toward virtual health care has opened doors that Ford says she doesn’t want to see closed — and she’s not alone in raising concerns about access to quality virtual health care.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/virtual-care-public-private-future-1.6733570
