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Medevac response time still a concern Minister Tom Beaulieu fields questions
from public in Trout Lake
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, July 18, 2013
DEH CHO
The response to a fatal boating accident in Trout Lake in May is still concerning some Deh Cho residents.
Concerns about medevacs were the primary issue raised in Trout Lake on June 24 when Minister of Health and Social Services Tom Beaulieu conducted a community meeting along with Education, Culture and Employment Minister Jackson Lafferty and Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche. Sambaa K'e Dene Band Chief Dolphus Jumbo said he told Beaulieu there needs to be improvements to medevacs as well as the education received by community health care workers.
The workers need to know more about head injuries, internal injuries and internal bleeding, three things that should result in an immediate medevac, said Jumbo. Jumbo also raised the issue of the length of time it took a medevac plane to arrive in the community following the boating accident on May 22 that lead to the death of 77-year-old Emily Jumbo.
"It's not acceptable waiting five hours for a medevac plane from Yellowknife," he said.
If a medevac isn't immediately available, Jumbo suggested medical staff
should be sent from Fort Simpson to respond to any medical emergencies.
Speaking on July 5, Beaulieu said he told the people of Trout Lake he thinks the medevac response to the boating accident could have been faster. The victims arrived in the Trout Lake health cabin at approximately 5 p.m. and the Twin Otter that was outfitted as a medevac didn't arrive until 10:51 p.m., five hours and 51 minutes later.
"I felt we could have probably taken a couple of hours off of that," he said.
Some of the delays were a result of the difficulties the health staff in Trout Lake had in contacting the Fort Simpson Health Centre emergency line, said Beaulieu.
Beaulieu said Trout Lake, Jean Marie River and Nahanni Butte also all have runways shorter than 914 metres, which means the normal King Air medevac plane can't land in the communities when it is loaded with medical equipment and the crew. The response could have been quicker if Trout Lake had a longer runway, but the medevac team still had to be mobilized, he said.
For future medical emergencies, the department is looking at the possibility of sending medical staff from Fort Simpson or Fort Liard in advance of the medevac, he said.
During a community meeting in Fort Simpson on June 24, Mayor Sean Whelly raised the possibility of using local airlines to bring people to Fort Simpson where a medevac could be waiting. There are experienced pilots who know the area and could get into small airports in difficult conditions, he said.
When the current medevac contract expires in September 2014, the department will examine how efficiently it can service the communities in the Deh Cho. The possibility of having medevacs come out of a regional centre will be considered, but it would be costly, Beaulieu said.
Education improvements
In Trout Lake, Jumbo raised the community's ongoing request to have a stand-alone school. The current school is connected to the community hall. Lafferty toured the school while in the community.
"I was happy the minister was able to see the issues," said Menicoche.
The MLA and two ministers also briefly visited Nahanni Butte on June 24.
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