Shoppers Drug Mart Offers Free Virtual Healthcare To Canadians

By partnering with Maple, the pharmacy chain is able to provide virtual doctor’s offices to Canadians who are practicing social distancing during the pandemic.

Need to Know

  • Shoppers Drug Mart is partnering with Maple, a virtual healthcare company, to ease the burden on Canada’s healthcare system
  • For Canadians with ongoing health concerns, the platform will allow you to connect with a doctor via phone, tablet, or computer and get an assessment and prescription refills
  • Maple is also offering free COVID-19 online screening in Ontario, and allowing clinics in BC and Ontario to use their platform for free to stem the ongoing pandemic
  • Canadians can access primary healthcare services on www.shoppersdrugmart.ca 

Analysis

Shoppers Drug Mart has launched a virtual healthcare option in partnership with Maple to help ease the burden on Canada’s healthcare system.

This service will be available across Canada, and where virtual care is not funded by provincial governments, Shoppers Drug Mart will provide free consultations. 

Canadians can access the primary care service on www.shoppersdrugmart.ca from 7am to 9pm until March 23, 2020 via phone, tablet, or computer. These virtual visits are meant to help flatten the curve of COVID-19, diagnose minor ailments, and get prescription refills so that people won’t have to leave their homes as much as possible.

“At Shoppers Drug Mart our primary goal is to help Canadians live life well and that matters now more than ever.  In an effort to help flatten the curve, we’re doing everything we can to support Canadians while encouraging social distancing,” said Jeff Leger, President, Shoppers Drug Mart. “Through this partnership, we are removing the barrier to virtual access to physicians, providing safer access to care for both patients and physicians.”

Maple, a healthcare technology company, also is offering a free COVID-19 online screening tool for Ontarians. This screening tool allows people to input their symptoms and connect with a doctor in a timely, virtual fashion. The Get Maple platform is offered for free to all doctor’s clinics in BC and Ontario as well, to help reduce the risk of infection when dealing with other ongoing health concerns.

“There has never been a greater need for this type of service than right now,” says Dr. Brett Belchetz, CEO of Maple and a practicing ER physician. “This partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart will help ensure Canadians are armed with the tools they need to remain safe and healthy during this time.”