YELLOWKNIFE - A new federal program aimed at cutting patient wait times across Canada may add more nurses to the territories' health care system but there is no guarantee it will affect NWT patients' wait times for surgeries.

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement was in the Legislative Assembly's Great Hall Wednesday to announce federal funding aimed at decreasing patient wait times in the nation's hospitals. - Jason Unrau/NNSL photo

Of the five "core" health care areas the Conservative government's Patient Wait Times Guarantee targets - cataract, hip and knee, cardiac and cancer treatment and surgeries and diagnostics - the NWT has elected to focus the $4.6 million in federal funding to diagnostics.

Territorial Health Minister Floyd Roland said training and attracting more nurses and nurse practitioners to work in communities along with improving remote diagnostic capabilities were within the government's capabilities.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with the ability to prescribe medication and Roland's goal is to have one in each community. This matched with remote diagnostics will allow, in some cases, for patients to know what ails them and receive treatment without flying to Yellowknife or Inuvik.

"We focused on what we do have in place and how to enhance it," said Roland. "Timely diagnosis will help us deliver health care in a more timely manner."

When asked if any funds would go towards increasing Stanton Territorial Hospital's ability to perform more kinds of surgeries, Roland responded that there was not enough money.

"Until we get a lot more money, we will be unable to do this," he said. At present Stanton does limited cancer treatment and hip, knee and cataract surgeries. Patients requiring cardiac-related or cancer-related surgery and/ preliminary treatment are referred to Edmonton's Capital Health Authority.

Doctor Jim Corkal, orthopedic surgeon at Stanton for the past 16 years, said the federal investment and NWT plan were a start but would not translate to faster access to surgery for patients.

"If you go and get diagnosed quicker there's no guarantee it will cut down on wait times," he said.

"It's going to require more resources, whether in the territory or elsewhere."

According to Sheila Laity, a registered nurse with 25 years Northern experience, the intention is good but making good on it will be the challenge.

"As far as getting treatment, permanent nurses in communities is a start," she said, adding that most NWT nurses are "locums," hired guns from the south here for a temporary period.

"Permanent nurses gives you consistency so patients don't have to go back to square one with their (medical) story...(but) I'm not sure where they are going to get them."

Since Aurora College started its nurse practitioner program in 2003, it has graduated eight students. Laity told News/North there are four students, including herself, completing the current nurse practitioner course and they are slated to graduate this spring.

Under the deal announced by Federal Health Minister Tony Clement in Yellowknife Wednesday, the Northwest Territories has agreed to establish wait time guarantees for primary health care by March 2010, which will be supported by $4.6 million. The NWT is also eligible for federal cash from the $400 million in new Canada Health Infoway funding.

This money is in addition to the $277 million in health and social services spending the territorial government has budgeted for 2007.