Tulita nurses living in squalor: MLA
Cramped rooms, mouse infestation among problems identified during tour of staff quarters
Miranda Scotland
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 19, 2015
TULITA/FORT NORMAN
Hardworking nurses in Tulita deserve better accommodations than cramped units with uneven floors, stained furniture and mice, says Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya.
Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya is appalled by the living and working conditions faced by nurses in Tulita. During a tour of one of the nursing residences in October, he snapped this photo of an old, stained couch. Yakeleya also noticed uneven floors and mousetraps, and was told the whole building shakes whenever anyone does laundry. - photo courtesy of Norman Yakeleya |
Yakeleya visited Tulita in October and toured the Harriet Gladu health centre and the nurses' residence. He was appalled by the conditions and tabled photos in the legislative assembly, hoping for swift action.
But the problems persist, said Yakeleya.
"These nurses, they work hard, they're providing a valuable, essential service to the community. They're on call, they're working in sometimes difficult conditions and we're not doing a very good job taking care of them," he said. "If they don't have good living conditions or working quarters, it rubs off on the quality of care for our community members."
Three nurses serve the community of Tulita.
During his tour, Yakeleya was told that the nurses' residence shakes whenever anyone does laundry and the building shifts during freeze up and thaw. There are mice traps in and around the living quarters because rodents are a problem, he said. The floors are uneven and bubbling, while the furniture is old.
In one of the photos Yakeleya tabled, there is a couch with large stains on the seat cushion, sides and backrest.
"That's just the live-in units," he added. "Then there are the working conditions."
Space is an issue at the centre, especially when the eye doctor or dentist visits. Staff are using bath tubs to store boxes, said Yakeleya.
They're also using a shed adjacent to the centre for storage. It has no lighting, a dirt floor and no heating.
Yakeleya was surprised to find a palliative care bed lying on the ground in the shed.
"Do you know how much a palliative bed costs?" he said. "I just couldn't believe when the nurses showed me the working conditions."
Damien Healy, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services, said the department is aware of the issues.
The CEO of the Sahtu health authority met with health centre staff in November.
"The meeting went well and staff and administration agreed to the following: to work within existing infrastructure regarding storage space, to prioritize furniture replacement within the existing budget. The Sahtu HSS Authority will continue to work with Public Works and Services on building repair and maintenance," stated Healy in an e-mail to News/North.
He also noted that an exterminator was hired and no mice have been seen since.
A planning study for a new health centre in Tulita was commissioned and should be completed in late 2015.
Although Yakeleya is excited about the new facility, he says it's no excuse for providing poor living conditions.
"Something should have been done and addressed, money put toward furniture and supporting the nurses when they come to our communities. And not wait until the new health centre is going to be built. That requires some more work yet before we see something," he said.
"Somehow we find $300,000 to promote investments in the NWT but at the same time we can't take care of our basic, essential health-care workers in our small communities."
