Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Apr 05/04) - Depending on who you talk to, Wednesday, March 24, was either a very unusual day for health care in Hay River or a symptom of deeper problems with the system.

On that day there was a backlog of patients at the medical clinic, some waiting many hours to see a doctor. Others did not get to see a doctor at all.

How busy is the medical clinic in Hay River? The following are numbers from Feb. 1-29, 2004. 1,086 -- patients seen 796 -- scheduled patients seen 290 -- walk-in patients seen 157 -- no-shows 17 -- walk-in patients who left without being seen 208 -- patients who cancelled/re-booked

In Mike Maher's view, March 24 was an "aberration."

Maher, the chair of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, explains the problems started when a doctor became ill and needed emergency hospital treatment by another doctor. That left one doctor at the clinic.

Another doctor was conducting a clinic in Kakisa on that day.

"That put us in a bit of a crunch," says Maher.

Maher says there are now four doctors in town, not counting the ill physician and another on maternity leave, plus a nurse practitioner.

While the ideal is to have six permanent and/or locum doctors, Maher says, "our goal is to have four on the ground at all times. We've been pretty steady with that."

As for the wait time at the medical clinic, he says, "if they're a walk-in, they'll get seen. It's just a matter of how long they'll have to wait. No one will be turned away."

The average wait for an appointment at the clinic is about two weeks.

Public complaint

One very public complaint came from Rodger Banda, who wrote a letter to the media and politicians.

Banda says he waited at the medical clinic on March 24 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to see a doctor, with only a break for lunch. At the end of the day, he was told a doctor would be unable to see him.

"I was just ready to blow," he says. "But I know the staff was trying to do their best. Their hands are tied as much as the patients."

Banda says he saw a few other people told they would not be able to see a doctor.

His own unsuccessful wait on Wednesday followed an all-day wait on Monday, after which he did see a doctor for extreme pain in his wrist from what is believed to be arthritis.

Banda says he only goes to the clinic maybe once a year, but every time, he says, it's the same thing with lengthy waits to see a doctor.

He adds the wait for an appointment is ridiculously long.

"I just had enough," he says of the reason for writing his letter.

Banda says he can understand that unforeseen events happen, but he believes there should be enough capacity in the system to handle such circumstances.

Concerns in legislature

Concerns about the health care system in Hay River were also raised in the legislative assembly by Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen. On March 25, she said the situation is "approaching crisis."

Responding to the MLA's questions, Health Minister Michael Miltenberger said he will look into the situation and would take "all the steps necessary to make sure that nobody's health is jeopardised for situations that may have ties to human resources issues or lack of personnel."

Maher says there are plans to improve the service, such as having an RN fielding calls at the medical clinic to better judge the need for medical treatment, the possible hiring of a second nurse practitioner and holding focus groups to hear the concerns of patients.