The pandemic has spurred on advances that would have taken months or years, even decades, across a variety of fields.
In Yellowknife, the sobering centre and day shelter went into a month-long quarantine, with vulnerable people signing up to stay in lockdown with the territory’s first managed alcohol program (MAP). Now advocates have what they say is evidence that like other places around the world, the NWT should be on the MAP.
Speaking of evidence, the three months NWT residents have enjoyed waived or reduced internet data limit fees gave us proof life without overages is within the realm of possibility.
Environmental groups from Ecology North to the David Suzuki Foundation have taken note of the significant reductions in pollution generated during lockdowns, and wonder aloud if the way back to normal might not have a smaller carbon footprint.
The processes for finding and testing a vaccine have been compressed from years into months, for good or ill, and China built a pair of hospitals in under two weeks.
Here and abroad, the potential and pitfalls of virtual service delivery from education to health care have come into clear view. Virtual parliament and committee sittings have made it more than obvious that for all the technological wonders that surround us, our lives are still a few lightyears away from the federation starships depicted on Star Trek, with their voice-activated computers and instant, flawless communication capabilities. It’s hard to imagine earthlings making first contact with another intelligent race any time soon while watching our national leadership wrap their heads around the mute button.
Still, virtual health care seems to have proven it can play a valuable role in the equation. Tele-health has existed for years but with a reliable video feed, a practitioner has two senses to draw from during a consultation.
Functioning as a triage, virtual health care is efficient, allowing a potential patient to receive at least an initial assessment without even leaving home. It would mean not having to wait days or weeks for at least a partial diagnosis, and less unnecessary traffic to emergency rooms and health centres. It also means being able to assess a patient without having to come into contact with them, reducing the danger for health-care workers in terms of exposure to pathogens like the novel coronavirus.
There are obstacles. While life without extra internet charges may be possible, getting online in the North is very much proof that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This week our MP, Michael McLeod, had to upgrade the internet package at his Fort Providence home in order to participate in the web-based goings-on on Parliament Hill. He was limited to phoning in before paying for more bandwidth to make video feasible.
There are also privacy concerns to be worked out in terms of sensitive health information being beamed back and forth across society. In a territory where health records have been found at the dump, the security of a virtual health care system is something worth thinking about.
While advances into the virtual health realm are welcome and can be exciting to watch as they unfold, the technology must be used to enhance the abilities and resources of flesh and blood practitioners, not replace them with unfeeling devices and algorithms. Proper bedside manner will always require the human touch.