Use of agency nurses ballooning in Nunavut

The use of agency nurses in Nunavut’s health system has ballooned since 2001, according to documents tabled in the Legislative Assembly.

The figures, requested by Baker Lake MLA Moses Aupaluktuq, show the use of agency nurses more than tripled between 2002, the first year when statistics were available, and 2009.

The number of person-years agency nurses were employed for shot up from 23 in 2002 to 68 in 2009. And the annual cost of hiring agency nurses has increased nearly five-fold, from $4.3 million in 2002 to $20.4 million in 2009.

“We’re spending a great deal of money for services we should already have in place,” Aupaluktuq said in an interview.

The Government of Nunavut needs to find a way to hire more permanent nurses who are willing to live and stay in Nunavut, not just to save money, but to improve health care, Aupaluktuq said.

The GN figures show there were 102 staff nursing vacancies in Nunavut during the fiscal year 2008-09, including 20 in Iqaluit alone. Rankin Inlet had 16 vacant positions and Cambridge Bay 19.

“These figures are massive,” Aupaluktuq said.

In its response to Aupaluktuq’s question, the health department said it’s reviewing its recruitment strategies for both nurses and doctors.

The department also said it’s reviewing the way staffing levels are calculated.