Eleven of Nunavut’s 25 communities will see their well being facilities shut down briefly throughout the summer season because of staffing shortages, in response to Nunavut’s well being minister.
Igloolik, Whale Cove, Kimmirut, Chesterfield Inlet, Sanikiluaq, Pangnirtung, Grise Fiord, Kinngait, Gjoa Haven, Pond Inlet and Coral Harbor will all see shutdowns this summer season, Well being Minister John Foremost informed Nunatsiaq Information.
“I perceive the significance of well being facilities and I actually remorse this has to occur,” Foremost informed the legislature Monday in response to a query about well being middle closures requested by Amittuq MLA Joelie Kaernerk.
Some communities shall be closed for weeks and others for days, Foremost stated, including he’s hesitant to get extra particular as a result of the size of closures might change.
There’ll nonetheless be workers within the well being facilities throughout closures, however they are going to be centered on emergencies and life-threatening conditions solely, Foremost stated.
Throughout closures, some providers is not going to be out there or shall be delayed, Foremost stated.
The closures are because of nursing shortages within the communities, Foremost stated. He added {that a} lack of obtainable nurses to come back to the communities and workers burnout are two of the bigger causes for that scarcity.
A scarcity of obtainable well being workers is an issue being tackled not solely in Nunavut, however throughout Canada, he added.
However the root of the problem is that the GN is struggling to maintain up with the variety of nurses wanted for Nunavut’s rising communities, Foremost stated, including that the well being infrastructure will not be rising alongside the communities.
“It has been fairly some time that this has been a priority” Foremost stated.
“It is one thing we’ve to sort out because the Division of Well being.”
For well being conditions which might be power, reminiscent of getting prescriptions, Foremost beneficial reaching out to well being middle workers earlier than the closure. He added that in any other case these providers shall be delayed or should be finished nearly.
To alleviate the discount in providers, the GN is bringing again a program it ran final yr the place two paramedics are offered to communities with closures, Foremost stated. He added the GN may also present digital well being providers to communities.
Physician visits to communities with well being middle closures may also nonetheless happen, Foremost stated.
To attempt to restrict the size of closures or keep away from them altogether, the GN has developed a job pressure, Foremost stated.
He added that one of many initiatives of that job pressure contains reallocating workers from one neighborhood to a different.
With a purpose to assist, Well being workers in communities have additionally been delaying their go away, he stated.
The division additionally runs a program the place workers who’re working in a neighborhood over the summer season can have a good friend or member of the family flown with them, with the GN masking the price of that particular person’s flight.
“We have been doing what we are able to to avert this,” he stated.
The issue of well being middle closures will not be new. In 2021, two well being facilities closed throughout the summer season and eight had service cuts as a result of nursing scarcity.
Communities whose well being facilities are going to shut will get discover two weeks upfront, Foremost stated.