June 18, 2020
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Lumeca Health, a healthcare start-up based out of Regina, Saskatoon, recently partnered with provincial communications giant SaskTel to make virtual healthcare more accessible for residents of Cowessess First Nation.
Lumeca was founded in 2016, and allows individuals to virtually connect with doctors, specialists and mental health professionals online. Patients can choose to have a consultant via chat, phone, or video call. Along with one-on-one consultations, the Lumeca platform also helps patients with follow-up questions, prescription refills, and treatment plans. Lumeca’s services are available at no-charge to residents of Saskatchewan who have a valid Saskatchewan Health Card.
Residents of the Cowessess First Nation can now download the Lumeca App when they connect to the band office’s Smart Wi-Fi, which powered by SaskTel. Through collaboration with SaskTel, Lumeca’s goal is to provide virtual healthcare services to all Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan.
“This technology makes healthcare accessible to our First Nation. It’s important that our community members have the support and resources to take care of their health when they need it,” said Chief Cadmus Delorme, chief of Cowessess First Nation said. “Being able to access a doctor immediately for treatable conditions, from the comfort of our homes on reserve will really impact the quality of life for the Cowessess people. It will also better exercise our Treaty Right to Health”.
This project represents progress for rural medicine, and specifically, for accessing healthcare services in Indigenous communities.
Author: Farrah Kudus
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