Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 17/99) - The minister's forum on health and social services drew a large turnout in Inuvik last week and attracted a wide range of individuals and opinions.

Among those making presentations at the Midnight Sun Recreation Centre were social workers, town officials, a union leader and Bertha Allen, who made an impassioned plea for an improvement in services for the elderly.

Deputy mayor Peter Clarkson addressed the issues of recruiting and retaining medical personnel and spoke of the benefits the planned new hospital will bring.

Gary Beattie also addressed the panel and congregation of some 85 Inuvik residents, and also talked about recruiting and retaining -- but from a social worker's point of view. He spoke of programs being cut, of uncompetitive salaries and benefits, lack of relief workers and new child welfare legislation that, "has thrown a bureaucratic paperwork process onto the social workers."

"One reason this forum is taking place is because of the nursing shortage and the retention problem," Clarkson said. "But this also applies to social workers."

Speaking on behalf of the Inuvik Elders' Society was Bertha Allen. She covered a number of topics -- from the immediate need for a new elders' home to the problem of abuse to the difficulty some elders have in accepting or understanding certain medical prescriptions -- and she did so with a mix of anger and passion softened by touches of humour. In reference to her proposal for a new elders' home, she stressed that the elders themselves would help fund-raise.

"We want to be involved in all phases of our new home ... and we're willing to play bingo till there are no more dabbers," Allen joked.

Created in June by Minister Floyd Roland, the forum is comprised of two panels, which have been touring communities around the territory throughout September. Forum members are expected to present a final report and recommendations for sustaining and improving the health and social services system to the minister in December.

Following the opening of his territorial forum, Roland made a medical-related announcement last week. He said last week that a decision has been made on how to allocate the $3 million in the government's 1999-2000 budget for nursing recruitment and retention -- in the form of "temporary market supplements" or pay raises next year.