Quebec health reports reveals grim state of Nunavik’s health

Nunavimmiut may crave cheerful news in the lead-up to the holidays.

But they won’t be hearing any from Quebec’s health department.

Nunavik stands alone with regards to its poor health and social indicators, the Quebec government’s annual review of health across province revealed Nov. 30.

There are many differences among Quebec’s 17 regions, but the health and social indicators in Nunavik are “most often” the worst or most extreme, says the French-only document “Pour guider l’action – Portrait de santé du Québec et de ses régions.”

The report shows that in Nunavik you can find Quebec’s:

• highest birth rate — with the average woman bearing three children, compared to the rest of Quebec where women give birth to less than two children;

• highest infant mortality rate — seven times higher than in the rest of Quebec;

• highest rate of teenaged births — more than six times higher;

• highest rate of hospitalizations for intentional and non-intentional injuries, collisions and falls;

• highest rate of suicides;

• highest rate of malignant tumours — with lung cancer rates three time higher than in the rest of Quebec;

• highest percentage of youth under 18 in Quebec and the lowest percentage of people over 65;

• highest rate of unemployment;

• lowest education levels;

• highest rate of high school drop-outs — only one in four graduate;

• single parent families with young children — two times more than in the rest of Quebec;

• highest number of smokers and drug users; and

• lowest life expectancy — 66 years against 81 years in the rest of Quebec.