Quebec Inuit deprived of essential health care

This disruption of services in Nunavik affects the Innulitsivik Health Centre, which is made up of different health establishments in seven villages in Hudson's Bay.

Thus, in the villages of Akulivik, Puvirnituq and Salluit, health services are now limited to emergencies. Breaks in services in other villages could occur.

It is the lack of staff, particularly nurses, that forces these service interruptions.

After seeing that the same teams were covering day and night shifts non-stop, alternating, it was considered healthy to close the clinics to protect staff from burnout, writes, among others, in a letter, Dr. Marie-Fraye Galarneau, who has been working in Nunavik for almost a year and who practices in several communities.

Dramatic consequences for the population

For this doctor, the fate of patients is a source of concern.

It's not like in Montreal where you can go to another clinic, underlines Dr. Galarneau, during a telephone interview. These are the only health service points.

That's what's worrying, she continues. We must now stick to emergencies, but the definition of an emergency is not the same for everyone.

The population has been advised not to consult except for emergencies, but people are not necessarily on the lookout for what an emergency is, worries the doctor. Now I have patients who dare not come to see us because they are afraid of disturbing.

However, underlines Dr. Galarneau, in Nunavik, when there is an emergency, it is often too late. When a patient experiences complications, most of the time they must be evacuated for further care, which can take several days.

A nurse who has worked for nearly five years in Nunavik, and who prefers to remain anonymous, was also able to testify to Indigenous Spaces about the difficult conditions caused by the lack of staff and service disruptions.

An emergency here is a double emergency, says this nurse on the phone. If an emergency closes in southern Quebec, people can turn to other clinics for care. In the North, there are no other options. People are prisoners of this situation.

All of this comes at a time when the context in the communities is often difficult.

Dr. Galarneau mentions, among other things, a recent wave of suicides. Four young people, including minors, died in one week.

We don't talk about it and the only service we have to offer is to close our hospitals, says the doctor on the phone. It is beyond me.

This would never be tolerated in Outremont or Rosemont or in the rest of Quebec, writes, still in her letter, Dr. Galarneau. […] It’s a bit like that, systemic racism. Its roots are subtle but well anchored.

The Red Cross or the army as backup?

Dr. Galarneau and the nurse are both wondering how come the Red Cross or the Canadian Armed Forces are not not called in as reinforcements in the northern communities.

It's hard for me to understand, says Dr. Marie-Faye Galarneau. When there are crises, the government provides solutions. We have seen nurses sent from the Red Cross or the army, as in CHSLDs during the pandemic.

Our management seems to be hitting glass ceilings itself, she notes. We have no answers on the ground. We have to find our own solutions.

In May, we asked our managers to make requests to the government to have the Red Cross or the Canadian army, no follow-up would have been given to these requests, reports as for her the nurse.

Nurses' voices are not taken seriously

The nurse also testified to the fatigue experienced by her colleagues.

In Nunavik health facilities, where there is an alarming lack of staff, nurses are called upon to fulfill many roles, both care and administrative.

In a full-time position in the North, it quickly becomes anxiety-provoking and stressful, she says. The mental load is heavy.

When you're tired, there's a greater risk of making mistakes, but luckily nothing serious has happened yet, she says.

According to this nurse, the solutions lie more in the area of ​​staff retention than recruitment. However, she regrets that the suggestions of her associates to improve working and living conditions are often ignored.

Nurses' voices are not taken seriously, she says. We proposed various solutions in the spring, such as increasing the number of doctors, but this was never attempted by our managers.

I think the government absolutely has to do something, she continues.

Québec solidaire intends to challenge the Legault government

Dr. Galarneau also sent her missive to the deputies of Nord-du-Québec as well as to the Québec solidaire (QS) party.

At QS, we are also calling for immediate action from the government.

Health care issues in the North have been known to be problematic for a long time. It endangers the Inuit and the people who provide health services, says Manon Massé on the phone.

We are very worried about the situation, the nursing staff is also very worried, without mentioning the population, said for his part the deputy Vincent Marissal, responsible for health in the solidarity caucus. We are asking the government to act quickly, there is an emergency. These are matters of life and death.

Ms. Massé and Mr. Marissal also point out that the state of health services in the North was the subject of several recommendations in the report of the Viens commission.

It was in the recommendations of the Viens report: we must improve working conditions in the Far North, it's not working, there is a great need to improve working conditions and improve living conditions, says Manon Massé

It is scandalous to see that Aboriginal citizens are considered second-class citizens, adds Vincent Marissal.

At the Ministry of Health, we say we are concerned

In a message sent to Indigenous Spaces, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec (MSSS) maintains that there are constant contacts between the department and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (RRSSSN).

The MSSS is very concerned about the current situation in Nunavik, reads this message. We are working hard to find quick and lasting solutions to minimize the impact of this service failure as much as possible.

At the MSSS, it is also stated that several actions have already been taken to remedy this situation, in particular use of doctors' emergency hours and the establishment of a team regional aeromedical evacuation.

The labor shortage affects all regions of Quebec. This situation affects Nunavik all the more because of its geographic reality, concludes the MSSS.

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