. E-mail This Article

When crisis comes

Health officials facing staff shortage too busy to hire staff

Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Jan 15/01) - The recent experience of two seasoned health-care providers shows just how wrong things can go when staff shortages hit the critical mark.

A doctor well-versed in Arctic life and emergency medical care, and an Australian nurse specializing in critical care, both said they tried to secure employment in Cambridge Bay, but faced several problems in doing so.

Speaking from his home in Ontario, Dr. Frank Boyce said he first saw the job ad for a locum physician last February. He responded immediately by letter stating he was available for a two-month period.

Boyce said he communicated on and off with health officials in the Kitikmeot, but said it was difficult because they would not take his calls and could not provide him with a date when he could start work.

"I was frustrated. It was such a strange experience. It's not the sort of reception you get when somebody wants a doctor," said Boyce.

"They said we're busy, we're in a staffing crisis. Here I am offering to come and help deal with your staffing and you won't talk to me. There's no sense in that," he said.

A crisis situation

In the midst of a nursing crisis that hit the Kitikmeot region particularly hard over the course of the summer, Boyce received an e-mail from department executive director Alice Isnor dated Aug. 23.

"It appears from your communication that you urgently require confirmation, which is not available at this time," wrote Isnor.

Boyce said he became fed up with the situation and wrote Health Minister Ed Picco a letter Sept. 13. About Isnor and her staff, Boyce wrote, "they never once phoned or wrote to me...I called the office about eight times and was never once put through."

Picco responded on Oct. 13, acknowledging the difficulty and apologizing to Boyce. "I am therefore troubled by the failure of our system to respond to your interest and anxious to find out how to remedy the problem."

Similar situation

Australian nurse Helen Alexander said she viewed coming to work in Cambridge Bay as a dream come true. After meeting Isnor in Melbourne, Australia in April for an interview, Alexander was told she had the requirements needed for the position of supervisor of health programs. She and her fiance began to make plans to move to Canada.

Alexander said Isnor told her their moving expenses and work visa would be taken of.

When the pair left Australia for Vancouver on July 17, neither the job offer nor work visa were in place. On Aug. 6, Alexander contacted a member of Isnor's staff and told them she was displeased with the proceedings to date. Alexander said she was told to travel to Cambridge Bay where the details would be sorted out.

Because her work visa still had not come through, Alexander had to work as the nurse educator on a volunteer basis. On Sept. 12, she said she learned that the department of health had not provided immigration officials with the necessary information.

"I was very distressed and telephoned Ms. Isnor to explain the situation...there was no effort made by Ms. Isnor to resolve the situation," Alexander wrote in a letter to News/North.

On Sept. 14, Alexander said she was told it would be better if she went back to Australia. Sept. 21, she learned she would only be reimbursed for a portion of the $10,000 she had spent travelling to Canada.

"I feel used and humiliated by the events of the past six months," she wrote.

When contacted by phone in Australia last week, Alexander said she had found a job as a nurse and was working to pay off the debt.

"It's just not fair to the community.

People want to go there to work," said Alexander, adding she knew firsthand of Boyce's problems and had also seen two other nurses denied employment.

Problems solved?

When contacted last Thursday afternoon, Dennison said the department had erred in the way they handled Boyce and Alexander and steps to ensure it wouldn't happen again had been taken.

"Looking at the record and the review of the situation, there were definite delays. It was unfortunate that we did not act more promptly. Let's put it that way," said Dennison.

"The situation was dealt within such a way I can assure people I don't see that happening again," he said.

Dennison would not say how it had been dealt with, but he did say no one was fired or reprimanded directly. While Isnor is expected to resign from her position next month, Dennison said it was not in relation to recent events.

When called to comment on the situation, Isnor did not return repeated phone calls.