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INUVIK - Vince Sharpe's wife won't have to travel to Edmonton for medical treatments anymore, now that he has won a three-week fight with the territorial government to purchase the necessary equipment to treat her at the Inuvik Regional Hospital.

The final chapter came on May 6 when Sharpe flew to Yellowknife, threatening to handcuff himself to the entrance of the legislature if the government still refused to pay $3,000 to install the ultraviolet light-radiating machine at the hospital to treat his wife Lena's rare medical condition.

Last week Vince Sharpe won his battle with the territorial government to buy the equipment needed to treat his wife's medical condition in Inuvik, rather than sending her to Edmonton for treatments. He got the news after he arrived in Yellowknife May 6, threatening to handcuff himself to the legislative assembly building's entrance. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

Last month she was diagnosed with chronic lymphadenitis, which is the inflammation of one or more lymph nodes.

Soon after arriving at the legislature he met with a government official for about 20 minutes where he was told the government had arranged to pay for the equipment.

The government issued a press release the same day saying it would provide the service for the Beaufort Delta region even though purchasing the equipment falls under the federal government's responsibility.

Sharpe said he is insulted it took so long for the territorial government to come up with $3,000 to buy the machine, especially since it was paying for the medical travel to and from Edmonton in order for Lena to get treatment.

"All this suffering over $3,000," he said. "It could have come out of the deputy minister's expense account. Instead my wife had to go through all this agony, and when she suffers, I suffer."

The machine has since arrived in Inuvik. It's also designed to treat various skin ailments, such as psoriasis.

Sharpe said he's happy with the outcome, since the equipment will also help others in need, but is upset about what he had to go through to achieve it.

"When I had the meeting on Wednesday, I asked why I had to get on an plane to hear the news," he said. "I don't advocate civil disorder but in a case like this there seemed to be no alternative.

I'm wasn't going to sit around and wait for the territorial government to decide who's going to be paying for it.

"Our government is ultimately responsible for the health of the residents of the Northwest Territories. There's no treatment that you shouldn't be able to get," he said.

Health Minister Sandy Lee refused to comment on the case, citing confidentiality reasons.