Yesterday, Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, Canada, announced a Canada-Québec agreement for virtual health care services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this agreement, Quebec will receive more than $28 million to expand its virtual health care services.
"Access to virtual health care services is more important now than ever before. We are working with provinces and territories to support the deployment of these services for Canadians, to ensure they all can access the care they need, whenever they need it. Today's investment will support the development of important virtual health services in Quebec,"
remarked Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
Quebec will invest the federal funds through two initiatives:
- A Virtual Ophthalmology Solution which uses artificial intelligence to identify and manage diabetic retinopathy for patients with type 2 diabetes; and,
- A Virtual Care and Services Platform to manage and integrate requests for all types of teleconsultations in Quebec.
Canada's universal, publicly funded health care system is a source of pride for Canadians. The Government of Canada is working closely with provincial and territorial governments to strengthen health care and adapt the system to the challenges of delivering health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 3, 2020, the prime minister announced an investment of $240.5 million to increase access to virtual services and digital tools to support Canadians' health and well-being. $150 million of that funding was earmarked for provinces and territories through bilateral agreements aimed to support virtual health services. Bilateral agreements on virtual care are a time-limited initiative to ensure that Canadians can continue to access the health care services they need.
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