Paula White
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Jun 25/99) - The Inuvik region is feeling the effects of the national nursing shortage and for perhaps the first time in its history, the Regional Health and Social Services Board is being forced to reduce health services in many of its communities.

Ray Scott, chief executive officer of the Inuvik Regional Hospital, said that, in terms of numbers, the shortage would vary throughout the next several weeks, depending on the community and the week.

"We're going to be faced with certain instances where we don't have a nurse in a community for several days, to other instances where we're one or two nurses short of what we should have as a full contingent," Scott said.

The board oversees the health services for a total of 13 communities. Scott said Colville Lake, because of its size, is the only one without a nurse. The other health centres range in size from one to four-nurse stations. Scott said the board is having trouble recruiting nurses to fill some of the vacancies in the communities because of the world-wide shortage of nurses.

"It's certainly the worst nursing shortage we've ever seen in Canada and, as I understand it, other places," he said. "We're competing with every other jurisdiction, basically, in the world for the scarce nursing resources there are."

Scott added the problem is compounded over July and August as existing staff go on holidays. He said with the shortage, staff needs their holidays that much more.

"It's very stressful and tiring for those that we do have."

The board has prepared contingency protocols for each health centre. Scott said this means that, depending on the community, the board would be reduced to handling emergency situations only and put other services, such as clinics, on hold.

Scott said the board anticipates the situation will improve to a large extent by the end of the summer, as staff return from holidays, but "as for being fully-staffed, I certainly cannot say that.

"We're starting into what they're saying is just the beginning of about 10 or 11 years of a severe nursing shortage in the country," he said. "So we'll do everything we can to recruit, but we're competing with every other jurisdiction, every other health board, from coast to coast to coast."

Scott added that, given the shortage, community support is crucial.

"The nurses that we do have, really, really need the communities' support as they carry on the duties that they can carry on and to make it as viable as possible for them to meet the really serious needs in the community."