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IQALUIT
The old wing of the Qikiqtani General Hospital will soon undergo renovations to allow for a new entrance with elevator, primary care and specialty clinics as well as other modernizations.

The old wing of the Qikiqtani General Hospital will soon undergo renovations. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

The 12- to 18-month construction project involves renovating the 2,682 square metres of the existing Baffin Regional Hospital wing into clinics and offices as well as building two additions, according to tender documents.

Primary care clinics, including exam rooms, procedure rooms and surgeon offices, will be on the ground floor, as well as renovated laundry services and cafeteria, said Monte Kehler, director of support services at Qikiqtani General Hospital. He said the second floor will have specialty clinics – five multi-purpose and one for ophtamology, in addition to dental rooms and offices for staff and physicians. The two building additions, about 288 square metres total, consist of a new entrance to the clinics, with an elevator and foyer, and a loading bay in the back, explained Kehler.

The entire wing will be shut down by December, thus minimizing disruption during construction and allowing for quicker completion, said Bernie Schmidt, executive director of health and social services in Iqaluit. He added they want to start construction next January.

"The intention is to renovate the entire wing so we're occupying both floors in a modern environment with, in particular, the primary care clinics and the specialty clinics," he said. "We're really excited about this. It's long overdue."

During construction, the clinics in the existing wing will move into the vacant pediatric wing on the second floor of the newer portion of hospital, while the offices will move to the Akausisarvik facility, said Schmidt. The cafeteria will continue to operate, he added.

"It will be tight for the ... months we're under construction, but it will allow the patients still to be seen within the hospital where their records are and all that," he said. "The end result, while we will have a little bit of compromise that will be required over the next ... months, it will well worth it because in the end, we're going to have a state of the art environment."

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