GN studying ‘feasibility’ of Rankin Inlet medical boarding home
Health minister says department is looking at medical traveller volumes over past 3 years
Nunavut’s Health Department is doing a feasibility study into a possible medical boarding home in Rankin Inlet.
Health Minister John Main provided an update Oct. 25 in the legislative assembly in response to questions from Rankin Inlet North–Chesterfield Inlet MLA Alexander Sammurtok.
“It can be very stressful to one or two or five individuals who are left stranded when their flights are cancelled or delayed, or there are no hotel rooms available,” Sammurtok said.
“Having a designated place to go to in such a situation would make a huge difference in their medical travel experience.”
Sammurtok has spoken in the legislature several times to call for the establishment of a medical boarding home Rankin Inlet, saying Kivalliq medical travellers often get stranded in the hub community.
Main responded to Sammurtok’s most recent inquiry, saying the feasibility study is looking at medical traveller volumes over the past three years.
“We’re also giving consideration to what we’re calling pass-through travellers, who are not necessarily going to Rankin Inlet but are passing through maybe on their way to Winnipeg or to Iqaluit,” Main said.
“The feasibility study is not looking at capital requirements, it’s looking strictly at the program side of things in terms of putting together a case that we can bring to Indigenous Services Canada to look for their support on this.”
Indigenous Services Canada pays the cost of medical boarding homes for Inuit medical travellers in Nunavut, Main said, adding it’s the federal government’s responsibility through the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program.
Sammurtok also asked about a possible location for a Rankin Inlet medical boarding home, noting the hamlet’s old children’s group home has “been sitting unused for years.”
Main said that building belongs to the Department of Health and is being renovated for future use.
“It’s going to be put into use as [a] mental health and addictions programming space, which is something that is in high demand in Rankin Inlet,” Main said.
“I’ve had meetings with the municipality regarding the need for mental health and addiction supports in the community, so we’re excited to be bringing that asset back online and offering services to community members.”
We should be called the feasibility study territory
Is anything (the government does) feasible here?
No one worry, if we can afford to pay $625K per year for people to stay in the Rankin Elder’s Center, we can afford whatever this will be.
Is Nunavut’s Health minister calling to look at medical traveller volumes over the past 3 years to avoid why medical travel is increasing?
The study must start January 6, 2021 to January 5, 2024 and 3 years prior, January 6, 2018 to January 5, 2021. Deaths, health reason, drugs prescribed, vaccination all included. Should NTI also jump in to do the same study? Then compare notes if Nunavut is practicing Sick Care or Health Care? Have heart problems, cancer, dementia are suddenly increasing?
The answer is just use the Churchill Mb route and there you go there is lots of hotel rooms and TS over there.
There is an urgent need for better accommodations for medical travelers in Rankin Inlet. Frequent reports highlight the struggle to secure hotel rooms, leaving many travelers with no choice but to spend the night in airport terminals. While Calm Air sometimes cancels flights due to low passenger numbers, the demand for medical travel remains constant. Despite concerns about cost efficiency, the need for reliable lodging will persist as patients continue to travel for medical appointments across regions.
My question is, why not do a feasibility study on whether the is an actual need for all this medical travel, seems like every time someone gets a broken toe nail they are sending them out with an escort too, they get there and get drunk and miss the flights and cost more and more $$$ all for a broken toe nail.
Build it they will come, Rankin inlet is like Iqaluit , regional hub, and Calmairs schedule, when the weather is bad everyone is stranded there, from the other 6 community’s , and the regions population is very mobile,Rankin inlet needs a bigger hotel with the New Medical boarding home that has been talked about for 20 years.