Turtleford’s emergency room is operating without a physician on site.
At around noon Friday, staff at the Riverside Health Complex confirmed the emergency department was being attended to by a virtual doctor – a remote physician connected through the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Virtual Physician program.
The SHA confirmed the arrangement in a statement to BorderPulse Friday afternoon.
“Saskatchewan’s Virtual Physician program is in place at the Riverside Health Complex Emergency Department in Turtleford as an interim measure until additional physicians are recruited to the community,” the statement read.
The program allows emergency department physicians to remotely support local health-care teams in addressing patients’ medical needs.
The SHA acknowledged that patients may not always be able to get everything they need from a virtual physician.
The Riverside Health Complex’s listing on the Saskatchewan Health Authority website makes no mention of the virtual physician arrangement.
“In some cases, as in any Emergency Department, a patient may be referred to another health care provider at another facility dependent upon individual care needs,” the statement said.
The authority did not specify what types of cases would trigger a transfer, or how far patients might be sent.
The nearest full-service emergency departments are in North Battleford, roughly 91 kilometers ( 1 hour ) southeast of Turtleford, and Lloydminster, approximately 85 km’s (55 min) southwest.
The SHA said recruitment remains a priority and pointed to its Health Human Resource Action Plan and the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive Program as part of its strategy for attracting physicians to communities like Turtleford.
“The SHA is actively recruiting physicians to the Turtleford area, as well as working to minimize any temporary service disruptions during this recruitment phase,” the statement said.
It did not say how long the virtual physician arrangement has been in place or when a permanent physician is expected to be hired.
BorderPulse is continuing to look into how long the virtual physician arrangement has been in place at Riverside Health Complex.
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