RESOLUTE - A mother from Resolute says she was left in a compromising position by Nunavut's Department of Health while in Ottawa for her son's medical appointment.

Lallie Idlout and her six-year-old son Joseph went to Ottawa in March so Joseph could see a neurologist. When they arrived and found out his appointment was postponed until two weeks later, Lallie said a health official told her she'd have to stay put or cover the costs for her airline ticket change to go back home to Resolute. - photo courtesy of Lallie Idlout Nunavut's Department of Health processes close to 30,000 airline tickets a year for medical purposes The cost of medical travel for 2007-08 is budgeted at $40 million Source: Department of Health and Social Services

Lallie Idlout said six-year-old Joseph's March 20 clinical booking in the nation's capital was rescheduled for two weeks later but she didn't find out until after she had arrived. When she inquired about going home in the interim, she said a medical official told her she'd have to pay for her own ticket change.

"I was not happy about it," she said.

She and Joseph were staying at the Larga boarding home, where meals are provided. While her out-of-pocket expenses were minimized, Idlout, a working mother, had to arrange for more time off - fortunately her employer was flexible and she didn't have to take unpaid leave. At the same time, her son missed all those school days.

Idlout acknowledged that she missed her initial flight to Ottawa on March 16. She said the case manager she was dealing with in Ottawa thought she was then going to be travelling a few days later, on a Monday, the day before her appointment.

Those flights were cancelled due to inclement weather, which is when he figured she wasn't going to make it in time and rebooked her appointment. However, unbeknownst to him she had arrived on Saturday, she said.

Despite the miscommunication, Idlout said she met others who were facing a similar dilemma.

"A lot of people waited for their appointment, it wasn't only me, it was other patients too," she said. "When I was in Ottawa a lot of them complained that why can't they go home for at least a week or two, but they had to stay down there."

The Department of Health's policy doesn't specify how long patients can stay in a boarding home. Instead, decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. While they would not speak about Idlout's circumstances, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and assistant deputy minister Dave Richardson said the Government of Nunavut is generally able to accommodate patients when changes occur due to weather, mechanical problems or appointment rescheduling. "In cases where we send them out, we send them back," Aglukkaq said.

The minister added that there are several points of contact where patients can notify health employees of any difficulties encountered: regional health offices, case managers in Ottawa or by calling a toll-free number.

Richardson said the government "bends over backwards" to make the medical travel process as easy as possible for Nunavut's residents. Ninety-eight per cent of the time everything goes smoothly, he said.

He added that, generally, the department would only refuse to pick up unexpected costs if a patient acted very irresponsibly.