Michelle DaCruz
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 07/02) - In the wake of the summer closure of Stanton Regional Hospital's intensive care unit, the territories doctors and nurses are calling on the government to increase health care wages.

But the presidents of the NWT Medical Association and the NWT and Nunavut Registered Nurses Association have a long way to go to convince Health Minister Michael Miltenberger.

Miltenberger says the GNWT's compensation package to health care workers is competitive and called the ICU closure a non-emergency situation.

"Everything is in hand here. We are taking care of business in difficult times," said Miltenberger.

Dr. Ken Seethram disagrees. While he acknowledges that the GNWT's department of health and Social Services does have an ongoing recruitment and retention plan, he points to issues that sabotage the process.

The medical association and the GNWT, said Seethram, can't reach a common agreement on the number of doctors it will take to fully staff the territory.

"Currently there are 59.5 fully funded positions. Of those only 51 are filled," said Seethram. "We are saying we need 83 doctors to be fully staffed, that is 32 more."

Doctors in the NWT, said Seethram, are paid by a salary based on a 40-hour work week.

"My colleagues are not working 40 hours. It is more like 60 to 70 hours a week. We are working long hours in an unsustainable fashion," said Seethram, who practises obstetrics and gynecology at Stanton.

"The government of the Yukon just increased their funding for physicians by 43 per cent to $11.7 million. We are no longer competitive."

A similar tale is told by nurses.

"Nurses don't go into nursing for the money. Many enjoy the North but are falling behind financially," said president Sylvia Stard.

Salaries falling behind

In the past the North could attract nurses because they had an edge on salaries.

Now that nursing salaries have risen across Canada ours are on par with the rest, but our high cost of living, said Stard, deters recruits.

"There have been double digit increases in provinces like Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan. That is why three per cent leaves us behind," she said.

Stard speaks to the tentative agreement offered by the GNWT to the Union of Northern Workers: a three per cent increase each year over three years.

"When you look at the big numbers, and how we compare from coast to coast, on average we rank up there fairly well in terms of benefits and salary," said Miltenberger.

A separate bargaining unit for health care workers is necessary, said Stard, a point echoed last week by Union of Northern Workers (UNW) Local 11, representing Stanton hospital workers.

Miltenberger admits that a separate bargaining table is "always a possibility."

Nevertheless, he added, at this point the ratification vote will include health care professionals.

Stard also acknowledges the "vigorous recruiting" by the GNWT, but brings up the lack of housing in small communities and Yellowknife as another deterrent to health care workers interested in coming North.

Retention of nurses is also becoming a growing problem. Stard has noticed a "significant increase" in the number of nurses requesting verification of their standing with the association. Verification acts as an assurance to other provinces and territories that the nurse has been practising in the North.

"The number of requests is much higher than ever before," said Stard.

The medical association will be embarking on negotiations with the GNWT over their concerns in the next few weeks.

The medical association represents about 60 doctors and the nursing association over 700 registered nurses.