NNSL (Mar 18/98) - Canadian Medical Association head Victor Dirnfeld bashed federal transfer payment cuts and hinted much-needed treatments are in danger at the NWT Medical Association annual general meeting last week.

"How can we provide timely, necessary treatments when we don't have the funding?" he asked the few dozen Yellowknifers and doctors from around the territories at a March 13 dinner.

Finance Minister Paul Martin has lopped about a third off the $18.5 billion provided to provinces and territories in 1995-96 as part of the Canadian Health and Social Transfer.

Though Martin proposed returning 11 billion to the regions in 1996/97, the regions wound up able to divvy up a still radically-reduced $12.5 billion.

Dirnfeld chastised the federal government for saying it would put money in the system when really they are simply cancelling planned cuts.

"We're doing everything we can to give the best care possible and the federal government is cutting the amount they're spending on health," Dirnfeld said. "There's widespread destabilization of the system."

NWT Medical Association head David Butcher echoed Dirnfeld's dire tone and stressed NWT concerns are shared across Canada.

"There are waiting lists for diagnostic tests and treatment," Butcher said before zeroing in on dental and surgical care as key areas suffering from lack of funding.

Northerners still make trips to Edmonton for magnetic resonance imaging, which produces images of muscular joints that on-hand NWT equipment can not scan.

"Waits for some necessary surgical care can be as long as six to eight months," Butcher said,

But Butcher shied away from advocating any British Columbia-like walkouts or strike action, saying he does not anticipate such a need at the moment.

"I'm not saying we would never go on strike, but that's a bargaining tool, as is any bargaining tool," Butcher said. "We would have to be sure it was justified and in the public interest and that's not the case in the NWT at this time."

Dirnfeld did not advocate dramatic attention-grabbing action to get people to wake up for the need for change because it would adversely affect people.

"The people come first," he said. "Their needs come first and when their needs are congruent with our (doctors') needs, then that's a bonus."