Inuvik Hospital Surgical Services in Jeopardy

TheBeaufort-Delta Leaders met with Premier Joe Handley and Finance Minister Floyd Roland on the Minister of Health and Social Services decision to stop the Inuvik Hospital from hiring specialist surgeons and specialist obstetricians.

Although the GNWT agreed that the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Authority can hire General Practitioners (GP), the Authority or for that matter the GNWT cannot find any GPs in Canada who will work in the north. Over the past few years the Authority has recruited specialists to provide surgical services without the specialists being paid specialist level salaries.

Stanton Territorial Hospital being the only hospital that is allowed to hire specialists further limits the ability to provide surgical services in Inuvik. The Inuvik hospital will no longer have surgical staff located in Inuvik unless the policy decision is changed and funding provided. Stanton will be the only hospital in the Northwest Territories able to provide these services. It is highly likely there will be some deaths as a result.

The Beaufort-Delta leaders strongly stated that this is unacceptable due to the distance for medivacs and the need for surgical aftercare for patients. The leaders passed a motion to have the minister change the policy directive and provide the appropriate funds. A petition is also being circulated to obtain the support of residents.

What’s happening at Kittigazuit and Atkinson Point?

DIAND’s contaminants and remediation directorate had a dinner (chili!) and project update in Mangilaluk School Gym (Tuktoyaktuk) on March 15th , 2006. Emma Pike of DIAND said the clean up of contaminants from the Yellow Beetle Army Camp at Kittigazuit is completed. “It is very clean now,” she said. “People in Tuk were pleased to hear the clean-up’s been completed. We worked in partnership with the ILA, and 90% of the subcontracts went to Inuvialuit businesses.” Three quarters of staff were Inuvialuit too.

Kittigazuit Bay/Yellow Beetle Army camp clean-up. The grey areas were the old station pad (rectangle shape), the access roads (lines) and the excavation area for contamination soils (irregular shape in bottom right area).

The next step is to plan for the clean up at Atkinson’s Point. Site assessment is being done to determine what contaminants are there. DIAND did a community survey in Tuktoyaktuk to get input on concerns and ideas for how to deal with post-remediation at Atkinson’s point. “If there’s anyone with historical information about Atkinson’s point, please contact me,” said Emma. Her contact number is 867-669-2756.