Drones, which are basically autonomous flying robots, have a variety of applications from controversial military operations to agriculture, cinematography, and package deliveries. Can this technology support improved healthcare services and healthcare equity in rural locations? Northern British Columbia comprises a vast geographical area the size of France, with a significantly smaller and dispersed population. Road links and municipal infrastructure to many of the smaller communities is limited and the harsh Canadian winters compound challenges to living during 6 months of the year. These challenges especially impact remote Indigenous communities, where accessing simple diagnostics or a pharmacy is greatly limited. These obstacles may seem intractable when it comes to providing healthcare, but rural physicians have responded by exploring the use of drone technology in their pursuit of healthcare equity. 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 drone technology to improve geographic health equity in rural Northern BC that has developed in 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 love for living and working in the beautiful province of BC.
