3 Nunavut communities to see temporary health centre closures
Health Department previously said 5 health centres would close in the new year
Kinngait’s health centre, shown here, is scheduled to see closures at the end of December and early in the new year, the Department of Health said Thursday. (Photo by David Venn)
Three Nunavut communities will see their health centres temporarily close in the new year, including Kinngait’s health centre, which will also see new closure dates starting next week.
The Health Department announced a revised list of closures on Thursday in a news release.
“The closures are a result of difficulty in securing relief staff due to a national shortage of health-care professionals,” the release stated.
The new closure dates and locations are as follows:
- Chesterfield Inlet: Jan. 9 to Feb. 3;
- Clyde River: Jan. 20 to Jan. 22; and
- Kinngait: Dec. 18 to Dec. 30, and Jan. 25 to Feb. 28.
This is an improved outlook from what the Health Department announced earlier this month. Previously, the department warned of five closures for the new year.
During the closures, paramedics will be on site to provide emergency or life-threatening care. Support staff will also be available by phone to help with things like filling prescriptions, but the release asks residents to plan ahead.
“If you need a prescription filled, you are advised to get them before the scheduled closure to avoid delays in receiving your medication,” the release indicated.
In communities with closures, the department will also use a combination of virtual health, fly-in clinics and paramedic services.
Calls will continue to go to the health centres, the department noted, but they might be forwarded to other communities and delays are expected.
This is BS. The Government should be providing medical care to all it’s Hamlets all the time. Especially in the smallest ones where there are many elders who should have easy access to healthcare. Quite frankly Chesterfield Inlet, the place that was colonized by the Hudson Bay and then turned into the Catholic Residential School for the Arctic, should never be left out so that Reconciliation can happen since most citizens of the Hamlet probably remember what happened there and need to have proper access to healthcare.
Your new CPHO is making racism the priority. I think if you have no medical staff then racism will not be an issue. Mission accomplished new CPHO!
“The closures are a result of difficulty in securing relief staff due to a NATIONAL shortage of health care professionals.”
..the release stated.
They can state whatever they want- agencies are blooming all over the place because so many nurses are moving over to them.
The GN treats nurses like a disposable resource, and as a result, most nurses only last a single contract.
There is a national shortage of medical personnel. Making it worse, not enough Nunavut residents fill this demand by attending medical programs for a career. If Hamlets want medical services, they should provide the staff themselves from local residents. If you don’t, then you are relying on southerners, when there is a shortage.
Take of yourself first. Go get medical training to serve your own community.
Health Sciences Sciences Center and/or University of Manitoba in Winnipeg may be good medical schools.?
Well said! Now, where are they supposed to find them? Perhaps they are among the secretly highly-trained Nunavummiut that NTI insists must be out there that are not, for some reason, applying to fill all the empty positions.
Three communities that the health care community of workers know is not worth the trouble for the wages paid. Maybe when the agency contracts go out they’ll pay double and some will consider working.
I’m confident there are a few others too.
What is going on in kinngait? There health center seems to be closed more often then open…