Drones have a variety of applications from controversial military operations to agriculture, cinematography, and package deliveries. Can they also support improved health care services and health care equity in rural locations?
Northern British Columbia is a vast area with a small, dispersed population, many of whom live in rural and remote communities that are hard to access, particularly during the winter. These challenges especially impact remote Indigenous communities, where access to diagnostics or pharmacies can be very limited. When it comes to providing equal health care opportunities to all (health care equity), these may seem like serious barriers, but rural physicians have responded by exploring the use of drones.
In this episode, we hear from Dr. John Pawlovich and project manager Sandy Lee about the UBC Drone Transport Initiative (DTI), an innovative project trialing the use of drones to improve health equity in rural Northern BC. The project was developed as a partnership between the Stellat’en First Nation, the Village of Fraser Lake, and the UBC Faculty of Medicine.
Our guests share the joys of practicing and supporting medicine in rural and Indigenous communities, the importance and reward of community-led initiatives, and their love for living and working in the beautiful province of BC.
Listen here, or on any podcast platform: Qualitycast North Podcast.
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