Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
National

Medical Robot In Saskatchewan Is Connecting Doctors To Faraway Patients

The Canadian Press, 11 Sep, 2015 12:15 PM
    REGINA — A new medical robot in Saskatchewan is connecting doctors with patients who would otherwise have to travel long distances for appointments.
     
    The robot, called PeTir (pronounced Peter), has been on the job at Regina General Hospital for nearly six months.
     
    He’s not a doctor himself, but he’s controlled by one.
     
    Using an internet-connected laptop, a doctor can control the robot, speak with a patient and examine charts or X-rays.
     
    A video screen that serves as PeTir’s head allows the patient to see the doctor's face.
     
    Two similar robots are currently being used in Saskatoon and the northern community of Pelican Narrows.
     
    Hospital officials say each unit costs just over $200,000, but they say the savings could far exceed the cost.
     
    “In my mind, this technology is unstoppable,” said Dr. Ivar Mendez of the University of Saskatchewan.
     
    During a demonstration on Thursday, Mendez simply logged on to a website and was able to control and drive PeTir around.
     
    PeTir is equipped with stethoscopes and ultrasounds, letting a doctor listen to the heart or see an unborn baby without actually physically being next to a patient. The camera is so good it can clearly see the pupil of the eye. The robot can even print off prescriptions.
     
    “In the future we will be using this technology for all types of medical care throughout not only our province, but the country and the world," said Mendez.
     
    “I am proud that our province is at the national and international forefront of implementing this technology.”
     
    A total of $220,000 from the Hospitals of Regina Foundation donor Partner Technologies Incorporated helped bring PeTir to life.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Victims Of Fishing Boat Accident Identified As Vancouver Island Men: Coroner

    Victims Of Fishing Boat Accident Identified As Vancouver Island Men: Coroner
    The BC Coroners Service says three men who died when their fishing boat sank off British Columbia's coast lived on central Vancouver Island.

    Victims Of Fishing Boat Accident Identified As Vancouver Island Men: Coroner

    ER Visits For Potentially Fatal Anaphylaxis Doubled In 7 Years:

    ER Visits For Potentially Fatal Anaphylaxis Doubled In 7 Years:
     A new report suggests the number of Canadians who visited hospital emergency rooms for anaphylaxis doubled in the last seven years.

    ER Visits For Potentially Fatal Anaphylaxis Doubled In 7 Years:

    Critics Sound Alarm Of Secrecy Surrounding Possible Toronto Bid For Olympics

    Critics Sound Alarm Of Secrecy Surrounding Possible Toronto Bid For Olympics
    Days before Toronto must decide whether to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, critics are sounding the alarm over what they call unprecedented secrecy surrounding the process.

    Critics Sound Alarm Of Secrecy Surrounding Possible Toronto Bid For Olympics

    Crown Takes First Step Toward High Risk Designation For Allan Schoenborn, Dad Who Killed 3 Kids

    Crown Takes First Step Toward High Risk Designation For Allan Schoenborn, Dad Who Killed 3 Kids
    Lawyers for British Columbia's Criminal Justice Branch are in court this afternoon applying to have child killer Allan Schoenborn declared a "high-risk accused."

    Crown Takes First Step Toward High Risk Designation For Allan Schoenborn, Dad Who Killed 3 Kids

    Australian-Indian woman Sonia Singh Awarded For Recycling Discarded Dolls

    Australian-Indian woman Sonia Singh Awarded For Recycling Discarded Dolls
    Sonia Singh, from Tasmania's capital Hobart, has won the Etsy Design Award for her project "Tree Change Dolls" by beating 52 other finalists selected by a panel 

    Australian-Indian woman Sonia Singh Awarded For Recycling Discarded Dolls

    B.C. Man To Be Sentenced After Second Conviction For Young Woman's 1993 Murder

    B.C. Man To Be Sentenced After Second Conviction For Young Woman's 1993 Murder
    Neil Snelson was found guilty in June of manslaughter for the killing of 19-year-old Jennifer Cusworth, who was beaten to death after leaving a Kelowna house party where the pair met.

    B.C. Man To Be Sentenced After Second Conviction For Young Woman's 1993 Murder