Having A Doctor On Demand Is Becoming A Reality In Canada

Anyone, young or old, parent of a young child or senior living alone, can tell you that while our Canadian health care system is quite wonderful in many many ways, there are some definite issues around access to care and wait times. There are doctor shortages everywhere- in Saskatchewan it can get particularly bad in northern communities but even in small southern towns, hospitals and emergency rooms are closing as a result.

Whether you live in a large urban center or small northern community, the fact of the matter is that when your little one has a nasty cough or terrible rash, waiting 10 days for the next available appointment, or sitting in a walk-in clinic among other sick people for 3 hours or longer don’t seem like healthy options! So, as parents, as adults, we have to determine the best course of action on our own sometimes and hope we get it right. Which sucks, and can even be dangerous.

Health lines are great, but we’ve all heard the disclaimer. Those on the other end can only assess the situation and advise you if you should indeed do the 3-hour (or longer) waiting room visit. They can’t diagnose, treat, or prescribe you any medication.

But things are changing.

Ontario is among the first in Canada to be a part of health care innovation, a game changer that will hopefully be rolling out across the country very soon meaning – in the near future all Canadians can have a doctor literally in their pocket.

Introducing Akira.

Akira is a mobile app (available for both iOS and Android phones) that gives you instant access to a team of Canadian doctors, nurse practitioners, and nurses experienced in family medicine. Have a health-related question or need advice? Just open the Akira app, text your care team, and get a response in minutes. Get expert medical advice instead of sketchy information from search engines (or your mother-in-law!)

I tested out the App.

The App is currently only available to Ontario residents, so I tested it as a proxy as if I were in Ontario, and it was really interesting to see how the questions helped the nurse practitioner get a better understanding of the issue (my daughter’s persistent cough). Through the assessment, the nurse practitioner and I both agreed that it was likely a virus which can last from a few weeks to a month or longer, and that there didn’t seem to be any immediate need for medication or treatment. I was doing everything right ensuring she was getting enough fluids, and perhaps a neti-pot may work to help us out a bit. Could Google have told me that? Maybe. But with children I err on the side of caution. If a prescription was necessary, that can be arranged on Akira as well!

You can even snap photos or move to a video discussion so the team at Akira can see exactly what you’re talking about. With three kids, I can’t tell you how many bumps, rashes and what-the-heck-is-that encounters we’ve had (we even had the joy of hand-foot-mouth disease when my daughter was 8 months old, that wasn’t fun!)

So, let’s talk pricing.

I was really impressed with the pricing structure at Akira. Here’s how it works: Ontario residents can currently pay per use $49 +HST. This also gives you up to 48 hours of follow-up care (rash getting worse? Not sure if the cough is now sounding croupy, maybe it’s time to get a prescription?) which I think is awesome. Instead of a pay-per-use structure, individuals and families may want to look into an unlimited plan with rates starting at $20/month. Memberships include access for you, a partner and unlimited children. If it were me, I’d probably go with an unlimited-plan with Akira. Because I have three kids, and I ask a lot of questions, and sometimes they do some ridiculous things!

Over 10,000 Canadians have downloaded Akira already to skip the waiting room so if you’re in Ontario the option is already there and waiting for you in the App store. For the rest of us, you can download the Akira app right now and then be notified via email when it’s available in your province (that’s what I did!)

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