David Ramsden, deputy minister of health, said the added staff will do a lot to step up the pace of staff recruitment. Hiring nurses has become particularly difficult. Over a two-week period, they will also assess the Kivalliq situation to see what needs to be changed in the region.

"The biggest concern is to bring about some stability here," he said. "There's been a growing sense of crisis here." Darrell Bower, one of the senior staff from Yellowknife, will act as CEO for two weeks until someone is hired, said Ramsden. The urgency of the situation forced political leaders to visit the community last Friday to discuss the situation that many health professionals in the region describe as critical.

Among those who attended the meeting with the hamlet, Kivalliq Inuit Association and health workers include Health Minister Kelvin Ng, Keewatin Central MLA John Todd and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Jose Kusugak.

The emergency meeting is the third in a week held at the hamlet office to assess the health-care situation. Ramsden said there will likely be a "narrowing of the agenda," even if it means "taking a step back from what the board has attempted to do" in order to make sure there is adequate care in the region. "What happened is that everyone became so fixated on hospitals and doctors, they forgot about the front-line workers," he said.

He maintains the shortage of nurses is a focal point that the government will address by looking at housing issues, access to education and the ratio of staff to the number of residents in an area. Senior staff from Yellowknife are expected to make recommendations to the board in two weeks, but Ramsden also said that the Department of Health will keep a close relationship with the board over the next three or four months.

He said there will be an announcement of some decisions by the end of the month.

Percy Kabloona of Whale Cove, a former vice-president of the board, will act as chair for the next couple of weeks.