Quebec inks big health deal with Nunavik

Representatives from Nunavik’s regional board of health and social services visited Quebec City Feb. 15 to sign off an agreement that will land the region $280 million in provincial health care funding over the next seven years.

The funding agreement, announced in Kuujjuaq this past July, runs from 2009 to 2016.

The plan has pledged money to fund 140 housing units for health care workers across Nunavik to help recruit and maintain staff in the region.

Much of the funding will be also allotted to the region’s two main health care centres in Kuujjuaq and Puvirnituq, while another $1.5 million will pay for medical equipment in communities across the region.

“[This agreement] shows a serious commitment to local services that are better adapted to their social, cultural, and spiritual needs, “ said Geoffrey Kelley, Quebec’s newly appointed minister of aboriginal affairs, in a release.

“It also marks a big step forward for current and future healthcare workers in Nunavik,” he said.

Alasie Arngak, chair of the Nunavik regional board of health and social services, signs an agreement alongside Quebec health minister Yves
Bolduc Feb. 15 in Quebec CIty. The agreement nets the region $280 million in provincial health money over the next seven years. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)