Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 25/02) - For more than six months, health officials have had a plan to ease the workload of city doctors, but are only now saying its recommendations may be implemented.

Dr. Angela Carruthers has submitted a report to the health minister recommending a plan to staff the Stanton Territorial Hospital emergency room with eight full-time physicians. - Chris Puglia/NNSL photo

Dr. Angela Carruthers submitted a proposal in February suggesting creating a pool of eight doctors to staff Stanton Territorial Hospital's emergency ward. That would free up family physicians to focus on their practices.

Currently, family physicians alternate between their clinic practices and emergency.

With only 25 physicians, more than 10 short of what is recommended for Yellowknife by the Canadian Medical Association, it means long hours for city doctors.

"Our contract is designed for a 40-hour work week. The average is 50 and at times it goes up to 60," said Carruthers, clinical director of emergency services.

The territorial health authority has hired locum doctors from the South to cover emergency room shifts that can't be filled by a local physician.

"If we account for all the locums that have come up here for the last year we'll have paid for our program," said Carruthers.

Still shortages

Even with the locums, there aren't always doctors in emergency.

"We have had to turn (emergency) patients away to the South," said Carruthers.

Carruthers' proposal would also provide patients in the hospital with a family physician if they currently don't have their own.

People who don't have family doctors, referred to as orphan patients, number between half and two-thirds of all admissions.

Larry Elkin, Stanton Territorial Health Authority chair, said Wednesday the authority plans to implement Carruthers' recommendations, but wouldn't say how long it will take.

Stanton CEO Dennis Cleaver said the intent is to phase permanent doctors into the emergency room. The first phase will see six full-time doctors added to the emergency room.