N.W.T. fires prompt cancellations, delays for Nunavut medical travellers

Medical travellers from Nunavut's Kitikmeot region are seeing their appointments in Yellowknife delayed or cancelled because of wildfires in the Northwest Territories. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Nunavut's Department of Health said that non-urgent medical appointments at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife for travellers from Nunavut's Kitikmeot region, which includes western Nunavut, may be postponed. 

Tobi Qirngnriq flew from her home community in Gjoa Haven with her mother, Eva, to Yellowknife earlier this week where her mother was scheduled to have surgery for cancer. 

But they learned Wednesday morning that the surgery had been cancelled.

"It's very uneasy. It's the hurry up and wait kind of situation," Qirngnirq said. 

The Northwest Territories declared a territorial state of emergency on Tuesday due to wildfires.

Qirngnirq said her mother had been waiting a couple of years for her surgery. So far, she said she hasn't heard from Nunavut's Medical Travel office about rescheduling the procedure.  

"No information was given on her next surgery. There's very little information," she said. 

"It's very stressful, especially when you have to wait for medical to be done. And we have to fly out of Nunavut."

Service reduction

The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) announced a service reduction in Yellowknife on Tuesday. 

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Stanton Territorial Hospital will have reduced service "as a precautionary measure to minimize the number of complex patients who would require transfer in the event of a worsening fire situation in the Yellowknife area," reads a statement from NTHSSA.

Patients that require ICU-level care will go to the hospital's emergency department or be transferred via air ambulance to Alberta. 

Patients in the extended care unit will also be transferred to southern facilities and the hospital's operating room services will be kept for urgent and emergency cases only. 

Qirngnirq said overall, her mother was calm after she received the news.

"We assure each other. One day, I'm panicking and she'll assure me. And then another day she's panicking and I'm there to assure her," Qirngnirq said. "Just being there for each other."

The mother and daughter are hoping to leave Yellowknife to return to Gjoa Haven on Friday as originally planned.  

Hotels are dealing with capacity issues because of residents who have been displaced, which could affect medical travellers, the department said. 

The department also said "contingency plans" are in place to ensure Nunavummiut who require urgent medical attention are sent to Edmonton. 

"Medical travellers with non-urgent scheduled appointments will be contacted directly and informed of any change in reservations," the statement said. 

People with questions about upcoming medical appointments should contact their health centre, the department said. 

Medical travellers with questions about upcoming appointments in Yellowknife should contact Kitikmeot Medical Travel toll-free at 1-844-886-8010 or after hours at 983-4506 and 983-5196.