Feds sign 2 deals with Nunavut for better health care, closer to home

Iqaluit – Canadians deserve a health care system that provides them with timely access to health services whenever and wherever they are needed, as well as the ability to age with dignity closer to home. Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, and John Main, Nunavut’s Minister of Health, announced two bilateral agreements to invest a total of more than $35.6 million to improve health care access and services in Nunavut. Through the Working Together Agreement, the Government of Canada will first provide more than $23.6 million to support Nunavut’s three-year action plan to deliver improvements to its health care system. The plan will:

• Increase coordination and access to primary care across the regions.
  • Increase the number of Inuit in health care positions through an Inuit-specific radiological technician program with 150 graduates over three years, and by enrolling five Inuit in an education and training pathway for midwifery;
  • Establish assessment tools for remote and isolated communities to help understand what communities require, based on population size and population health needs. These tools will assist in the design of primary health care teams in remote settings;
  • Expand the existing paramedic program, which was established in 2021 to support primary care programs in community health centers, to all 25 Nunavut communities. Nunavut will also establish a new paramedic practice consultant who will support the integration of paramedics into communities; and
  • Bolster Qikiqtani General Hospital in Nunavut by supporting the newly established obstetrics-gynecology program, recruiting additional surgeons, expanding cardiology services, and investing in nurse practitioner pilot programs.
• Support recruitment, retention, and training initiatives for health workers, and help reduce backlogs.
  • Implement a comprehensive recruitment campaign to attract nurses and nurse practitioners, and enhance the Graduate Nursing Residence Program; and
  • Address orthopedic needs by purchasing a CT scanner, acquiring a portable MRI, and purchasing a C-Arm to increase in-territory medical procedures and reduce the reliance on patient travel to Ottawa, helping alleviate wait times.
• Expand the delivery of culturally-appropriate mental health and addiction services and specialized care.
  • Support training for paraprofessionals to ensure Inuit in Nunavut can access Inuit-specific, culturally, and linguistically relevant mental health services and programs; and
  • Continue implementing annual trauma symposiums to equip frontline workers with the tools and skills needed to engage in trauma work with community members, particularly children and youth.

Through the Aging with Dignity Agreement, the Government of Canada will provide more than $12 million to support Nunavut’s five-year action plan to age with dignity close to home, with access to home care or care in a safe long-term care facility. This will:

• Fund home and community care program reviews, expansions, and services.
  • Undertake a comprehensive review to help inform organizational changes and expansions to help recruit and train additional staff, focusing on Inuit hires, and increase service hours; and
  • Enhance workforce skills, specifically supporting nursing students, through online courses and in-person training, with the goal to provide quality care to Nunavummiut in all 25 communities, to help them maintain independence and well-being.
• Strengthen workforce stability.
  • In collaboration with Nunavut Arctic College, continue developing a tailored Personal Support Worker program to enhance the skills of Home and Community Care Workers and Continuing Care Workers in Nunavut, while also supporting their continuing education; and
  • Enable nurse practitioners to provide virtual care for long-term care facilities.
• Enhance long-term care standards.
  • Support Nunavut in meeting new national long-term care standards by enhancing culturally appropriate care, providing Inuit-specific counseling for residents outside the territory, and addressing organizational challenges within the Home and Continuing Care Division facilities.

Progress on these initiatives and broader commitments will be measured against targets which Nunavut will publicly report on annually.

Through these new agreements, the Government of Nunavut will work with the Government of Canada to improve how health information is collected, shared, used and reported to; streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professionals; facilitate the mobility of key health professionals within Canada; and fulfill shared responsibilities to uphold the Canada Health Act to protect Canadians’ access to health care based on need, not the ability to pay.

Recognizing the significant disparities in Inuit health outcomes, the Governments of Canada and Nunavut also commit to meaningfully engaging and working together with Inuit partners to support improved access to quality and culturally-appropriate health care services. Nunavut’s action plan is informed by continued engagement with its Inuit partners and recent trilateral discussions involving the federal government. All levels of government will approach health decisions in their respective jurisdictions through a lens that promotes respect and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Nunavut and the federal government will continue working together to improve health services for all patients across the territory, including responding to the needs of Inuit and other underserved and disadvantaged populations.