On February 15, I received notice as the MLA for Nunakput that there will be no doctor visits in the communities of Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour. In the months of February and March of ’08 in my home community of Tuktoyaktuk there will be one doctor’s visit on March 14.
Mr. Speaker, as a former mayor of Tuktoyaktuk I’m used to getting these letters every time there’s a shortage of doctors in Inuvik Hospital. I’m consistently amazed with the professionalism and the compassion shown by Dr. deKlerk and his team. They do the best they can to meet the medical needs of the communities of the BeaufortDelta. However, there’s also a need to maintain operational capabilities in Inuvik Hospital, and sometimes these competing interests collide and the hospital wins.
I have also heard that there are video telehealth units that are not being used and are still in boxes in the communities. They need to be operational so that doctors and nurses can try to keep patients in their communities and not increase medevac costs, which are a consequence of not having regular doctor visits.
Mr. Speaker, there needs to be a concentrated effort in encouraging doctors to move to Inuvik. Incentives, job sharing, increased training opportunities and even more pay should all be considered. Managing a person’s health through regular contact and follow-up in their home communities lowers the overall cost of health care in the system and justifies additional costs in recruiting and retaining doctors.
In closing, I’d like to thank all the nurses and doctors, both long-term and those just filling in, for their dedication to the health and well-being of the constituents of Nunakput. I will have questions at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
