Presently there’s a health crisis going on in the Inuvik region. It has to do with providing medical services to the whole Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea communities and Inuvik itself. Right now we’re short some five doctors in Inuvik; we’re down to four doctors when we should have nine. Clinic tours to our communities have been cancelled because of the shortage of doctors. In regard to the collective negotiation that’s going on, they seem to have no problem filling the Yellowknife Stanton hospital, which has some 27 positions. Out of that, 26 are filled.
Yet, Mr. Speaker, this health crisis we have in our communities is…. Without having medical services by way of shortages of nurses and, more importantly, doctors…. Doctors are the ones who play the most important role in our health care system. Without doctors, we’re just another Third World country.
I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services: what are we doing as a government to ensure we have the capacity to deal with delivering health care services, especially with the shortage of doctors in the Inuvik region?