With more than half the doctors in Atlantic Canada over the age of 50 and many over age 65, the region may well face a growing shortage of doctors.
One potential solution is technology.
Doctors in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia routinely treat patients remotely from offices located in major centres.
The services are covered by Medicare and, in collaboration with local health professionals and regional health authorities, doctors order and receive the results of diagnostic tests.
We do the same in Atlantic Canada but the practice of seeing patients using Internet toolsneeds to be more widespread.