Virtual physician program expands to Assiniboia emergency department

Assiniboia joins 29 other communities using Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA’s) virtual physician program, which helps maintain access to emergency room services at the Assiniboia Union Hospital.

The virtual physician program is an interim measure that helps sustain and support access to emergency health services while work continues to recruit physicians to rural and remote locations across Saskatchewan. As part of the provincial government’s Health Human Resource (HHR) Action Plan, recruitment and retention of health-care professionals remains a priority for the SHA and Government of Saskatchewan.

With recruitment efforts to fill provider vacancies in Assiniboia underway, HealthLine 811 technology enables emergency department physicians to remotely support the local health-care team in safely addressing emergent patient needs when local physicians are temporarily unavailable.

When rural facilities are using the virtual physician program, the emergency department functions the same. Patients are still initially assessed and triaged by an on-site registered nurse (RN) who uses technology to consult the physician by phone or video. Working with the on-site health-care team, the physician remotely assesses the patient to provide direction on the appropriate care required to safely and effectively treat their current condition.

Assiniboia is the 30th location to implement the virtual physician program since it was first introduced in August 2023, successfully supporting local health-care teams in maintaining ongoing access to emergency department services when needed. As of February 21, 2026, the virtual physician program has helped avoid 5,507 potential service disruptions across the province.

Individuals requiring emergency services should call 9-1-1. Non-urgent health-related questions may be directed to the 24/7 HealthLine service by calling 8-1-1.