Online Medical Exams Extended to Livestock Due to Veterinarian Shortage
As veterinarians in Hokkaido sometimes need to travel hundreds of kilometers a day, online medical exams are expected to decrease their burden and help them treat animals more quickly.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is promoting online exams for livestock, aiming to develop a system in which farmers on remote islands and in other areas that are not easily accessible can get help for their animals.
In June, the press was invited to see how an online medical exam was conducted at a dairy farm in Ebetsu, Hokkaido. The farm keeps nearly 650 dairy cows and other animals.
By looking at his tablet, veterinarian Shota Tominaga was able to conduct a visual examination of a cow.
'She probably has hypocalcemia after giving birth,' he said, and gave instructions on how medicine should be administered.
'I'll give her the medicine soon,' said farm owner Norihiko Kobayashi, while speaking to Tominaga through the tablet.
The online system, developed by Tokyo-based SB Technology Corp., allows farmers to book appointments for their animals, either through the program or via the Line messaging app. During the exam, they can speak to the veterinarian via their smartphone or tablet, and medical records are kept in the cloud.
According to the Nosai Hokkaido agricultural mutual aid association, the system is being used by 71 veterinary clinics in the region. In almost one year, the system has been used to conduct about 330 medical exams on cows and horses.
The online system has enabled veterinarians to examine animals more efficiently in Hokkaido, where farms are far apart. The system also means fewer people visit the farms, reducing the risk of spreading infectious diseases among animals.
The agriculture ministry hopes the system will also help shorten exam time and reduce costs.
Tominaga says he sometimes visits up to 10 farmers a day.
'Most of my working hours are spent driving,' he said. 'As [the system] reduces travel time, I think I'll be able to treat illnesses more quickly.'
Nosai Hokkaido aims to develop a system, based on medical records, by the end of this fiscal year in which medicines that will likely be necessary will be distributed in advance so farmers can administer them as soon as veterinarians tell them to do so.
This means farmers will have to have the necessary telecommunication equipment, acquire skills and learn how to administer medicines.
'I believe online exams will be conducted more and more,' said Shigeru Nakao, 60, chief of Nosai Hokkaido's livestock department.
The system has also been introduced by Nosai Okinawa, a similar mutual aid association in Okinawa Prefecture, as well as some animal clinics in the Kyushu and Tohoku regions.
According to the ministry, 40,455 people had veterinary licenses as of 2022, about 40% of whom worked at animal hospitals for pets.
In contrast, only 4,460 veterinarians worked with livestock, meaning there is a shortage of large animal veterinarians.
Nosai associations provide mutual aid programs that cover medical costs for livestock owned by member farmers. To promote online medical exams, the ministry had these exams be covered by the programs starting in fiscal 2023.
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