A rising number of COVID-19 cases in Winnipeg will likely affect medical travel for Nunavut residents in the Kivalliq region. (File image)
As Winnipeg moves to code red, medical travel from Nunavut’s Kivalliq region may be affected
“An increase in cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba has prompted the province to reduce services”
An increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba may impact Kivalliq medical travel, the Government of Nunavut said on Friday, Oct. 31.
The Department of Health said it would contact Kivalliq medical travellers to update them on their travel.
“An increase in cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba has prompted the province to reduce services, which might impact some medical travel to Winnipeg,” the department said in a statement.
New restrictions are being put in place in Winnipeg, after Manitoba moved to code red on the COVID-19 warning scale on Friday, Oct. 30.
That move came after Manitoba more than doubled its previous record for the most new COVID-19 cases announced on one day: 480 infections were reported on Oct. 30.
Manitoba’s chief nursing officer for shared health, Lanette Siragusa, said at a Friday news conference that Manitoba would have no choice but to cancel non-urgent surgeries.
She also said hospitals would suspend non-urgent and elective procedures.
As a result, Nunavut’s clinical staff plans to review all scheduled medical travel out of the Kivalliq region, the Health Department said.
And local health centres will notify patients about their medical travel.
“If you have questions regarding your scheduled medical travel, please contact your health centre. Please direct inquiries to your health centre and not Kivalliq Inuit Services,” the Health Department said.
Meanwhile, Ottawa Public Health said on Oct. 31 that there were 704 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, up slightly from 698 on Friday.
But no similar restrictions on medical travel for residents of the Baffin region have been announced yet.
Why not allow Kivalliq medical travellers to go to Yellowknife instead? There is only active case of COVID-19 in Yellowknife at this point, and that person has been isolating for two weeks now. It really isn’t any further to go than Winnipeg.
Yellowknife doesn’t compare the Winnipeg in terms of available medical services.. but true, they are about the same distance, great insight.
Three reasons why YK is a non-starter. 1. Stanton Hospital is only slightly bigger than QGH and would easily overwhelmed by an influx of Kivalliq medical patients.
2. The services available at Stanton are limited and will not meet the needs of all patients.
3. As far as I am aware there is no agreement in place between the GN and the NWT regarding fees and services for Kivalliq residents.
Only one real solution….give Nunavut its own hospital in Rankin inlet…..stop playing games with people’s lives…the amount of money spent on travel is ludicrous…invest in the North.
This isn’t really a solution, though it would be nice in principle, it is riddled with complications that make it an almost impossibility at this time.