New medical travel guide offers one-stop source for information
Department of Health announces 44-page handbook will be available online and at all health centres
Nunavut Health Minister John Main says a new Nunavut Medical Travel Handbook provides helpful resource for medical travellers. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Nunavummiut travelling south for medical services have a new informational resource to pack for their journey.
The territorial government announced May 23 the release of a 44-page guide that provides information such as preparing for appointments, what to pack, navigating flights and accommodations, and understanding insurance coverage.
The Nunavut Medical Travel Handbook was compiled by the Department of Health’s Medical Travel Division, in collaboration with the Office of Patient Relations.
“It will provide critical support for those travelling for medical care outside of the territory,” Health Minister John Main said May 23 at the legislative assembly.
“It aims to help patients better prepare for their medical journeys, ensuring they understand what to expect and how to navigate the medical travel process.”
Frequently asked questions are addressed in the book, alongside prepared checklists, tips and other tools.
This is the first handbook of its kind for Nunavut’s medical travel program.
While information about medical travel has been available in various formats before, this is the first time it has been compiled into one centralized, accessible guide for patients, escorts and staff, said Chelsea Halvorson, a communications consultant with the Department of Health, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
An excerpt from the new Nunavut Medical Travel Handbook. The handbook is available through the Government of Nunavut website or hard copies are available at local health centres. (Image courtesy of the Government of Nunavut)
The English and Inuktitut guides are available on the government’s website. French and Inuinnaqtun versions will be added shortly, Halvorson said.
Hard copies are also being sent to all health centres, case managers and boarding homes in all official languages.
Development and production of the handbook was completed within the department’s existing operational resources, said Halvorson. No separate or additional budget was allocated for the initiative.
The project is a result of direct feedback from communities gathered through a territorial public survey conducted in 2024, and ongoing engagement, Halvorson said.
Any information about getting drunk and then calling all the staff at the Larga racists and then missing flight the next morning? Or is it the same as duty travel where they just rebook you with no consequence?
No one follows the rules, there are medical travellers banned from every hotel in Ottawa, that have cost the system tens of thousands of dollars, and STILL act like druken idiots every trip. Start enforcing the rules, hold the repeat offenders accountable or nothing will ever change.
First step should be to do away with all medical escorts except in the most extreme needs.
Save the GN heaps of money and headaches. Much less stress for the patients.
Always so negative, why not let the Health department try something?
Let’s not forget the harassment from patient referrers in Winnipeg when you are down for medical appointments. Additionally, there is often animosity from local medical travel clerks during the process of picking up documents prior to your departure, as they do not know how to behave professionally during working hours. Kivalliq experiences the worst of this! Oh, and I almost forgot—it’s likely because they are favored by the Executive Director that they are still in their positions.
Don’t forget to add that its to trash your hotel room, miss your flight repeatedly and that you can verbally abuse medical travel staff whenever you feel like it without consequence.
I hope this helps medical travellers.
Unfortunately it does not include much for non beneficiaries.
But a good start.