by Cheryl Leschasin
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 12/97) - The Kitikmeot Regional Health Board needs to find new and creative ways to maintain the current level of health care in the region, after losing 10 per cent of its territorial funding.

"We are trying not to limit services," said Alice Isnor, executive director of Kitikmeot Regional Health and Social Services.

The board is looking at more cost-effective ways to spend their remaining budget allowance. To combat the cuts, the region is changes its travel system.

Until now, children were flown to Yellowknife for orthodontic services on scheduled airlines. Now, a charter aircraft will fly both orthodontist and patients to Cambridge Bay for check-ups. The charter would arrive and depart on the same day, eliminating the need for costly overnight stays.

Also, the region is looking for a permanent full-time resident physician. Isnor said a resident physician will decrease medevac costs, as well as eliminate the need for unnecessary medevacs.

However, the region is having difficulty attracting the a permanent physician. "I understand there is a difficulty remote communities getting physicians," said Isnor.

The region is also considering ways to make full-time nursing positions more attractive to qualified personnel. "We've had a fairly high turnover rate of staff," she said.

One Cambridge Bay nurse agreed with Isnor. "Staffing is becoming a big problem. It's not worth it for $800 every two weeks," said the nurse, who asked not to be identified.

In other regions, cuts have hurt, though not as badly as in the Kitikmeot.

On Baffin Island, although funding levels have stayed the same, a growing population is making it harder to support more people on the same allowance.

"We've been growing by about six per cent every year, but we've had no new staff since '96," said Pat Kermeen, CEO of Baffin Regional Health and Social Services.

Kermeen said the region is having difficulty supporting new initiatives, such as a nursing program and staff preparation for Nunavut, with no funding increases.

The Inuvik region's funding is also stalled at the 1996 level and health-care providers are still considering the ramifications of this year's budget.

In the Keewatin, the health-care situation is looking up. By the end of spring, a new laboratory and dental service will be in place and plans for an ultrasound and coloscopy program are being worked out.