SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The new $6,640,000 downtown primary care clinic located in the lower level of the former Panda II Mall is now scheduled to open its doors at the end of June.

The interior of the future Yk Primary Care Clinic in March. The clinic is due to open at the end of June. - photo courtesy of Damien Healy

The construction cost of the clinic has been $3.8 million with the remainder going to new equipment, furniture, moving expenses and other project costs.

It was originally scheduled to open in January when plans for the super clinic were first announced two years ago.

Staff and services from Great Slave Community Health Clinic, Family Medical Clinic and Gibson Medical Clinic will be moved to the new clinic. The Frame Lake community health clinic will remain open.

In addition to family doctors, the clinic will have diagnostic imaging services such as X-ray, ultrasound and bone densitometry. There will also be an electro-cardiograph machine and a lab on site. Some of these services were previously only offered at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

The clinic will offer extended hours of walk-in appointments for clients.

Ruth Robertson, CEO of Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, said this will increase access to services without having to go to Stanton. Many residents who can't get same-day appointments at a clinic end up at the emergency room.

"The changes are based on the needs of the community and the need to deliver services in a more seamless manner," said Robertson. "It is not so much about the buildings but rather how we work together to provide services to the people we serve."

But although the clinic will increases services to residents, there will not be an increase in staff.

For this reason Natasha Leung doesn't believe the new amalgamated clinic will help solve the problems she has encountered getting medical services.

She had to take her one-year-old son to the hospital in the beginning of March when she was unable to get an appointment with a family doctor.

"I called at eight o'clock in the morning and they told me there was no walk-in clinic until 6 p.m.," said Leung. "I had two choices: listen to my baby cry all day or take it to emergency."

Her son turned out to have an infection.

"It wasn't an emergency," said Leung. "A lot of minor things can be severe if you have to wait eight hours." Leung said she believes children under the age of five should have access to same-day medical attention from clinics.

"There should be more nurse practitioners," said Leung.

"Switching buildings is not going to make a difference."