No timeline for proposed walk-in clinic in Whitehorse, minister says

Months have passed since the spring when the Yukon government said a walk-in clinic would soon be opening in Whitehorse. Now, the health minister has admitted that she can't give a date for when that will happen.

"No, I can't do that," Tracy-Anne McPhee said after question period on Tuesday. "I hope it's tomorrow. But the truth of the matter is that we're working on many options. As I've said, we're talking to local medical practitioners and nurse practitioners to determine how that might fit into their business plan and how we can support that."

In April, McPhee said she expected a clinic to open "in the very near future."

Unless employed by a hospital or health centre, McPhee said doctors and nurses in the territory are private business owners.

She said that last spring the Yukon government committed $240,000 to help get the clinic off the ground. McPhee said that money would have been for licensing, rent and some administrative costs.

"Those doctors ultimately chose not to pursue that business model. So we were back at the drawing board," she said.

In the Legislative Assembly this week, the MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin called on the government to end its reliance on "private businesses" in favour of a publicly-funded and operated clinic.

The NDP's Annie Blake told reporters she would like to see doctors and nurses being hired, along with wraparound services provided by social workers and counselors.

"I think in the times we're in now, that's the most important thing we could do," Blake said. "Ensure people have access to all of the support they need at any given time, no matter what situation they're dealing with."

The minister described the walk-in clinic as being "government-supported," which would not involve hiring doctors or constructing a building. She said it would be a private practice similar to Whitehorse Medical or Klondyke Medical, and staffed by local doctors and nurses.

Blake said she hopes the walk-in clinic will open this year, pointing to "thousands" of people waiting for a family doctor. These are patients that instead need to be sent to the emergency room for their healthcare needs.

"That's putting a lot of pressure on the hospital where they may be dealing with [staffing issues]," she said.

McPhee said the government is negotiating with health-care professionals who might want to be part of it. She doesn't think there are any "insurmountable hurdles."

"If medical practitioners want to go forward with it, we will work with them. Absolutely," she said.

Meanwhile, McPhee revealed that a bilingual health clinic due to open this year, might not be ready until next spring.

"The Constellation clinic has been the victim, unfortunately, of supply chain issues, labour issues, all of the things that … are occurring in all of our capital builds," she said.

McPhee said doctors have been "lined up" and other staff have been hired. She said a temporary clinic could open in November before the final location is complete.