BIG TROUT LAKE, Ont - The Chief and Council at Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug have closed the local clinic and declared a state of emergency.
In a news release, they say it's because of a shortage of nurses at the clinic.
According to the statement, K.I. is supposed to have a full complement of six nurses at all times, given the size of the clinic and the population it serves.
However, on Wednesday the leadership was informed that there were only three nurses, and that only two of them were working. The third was sleeping after having looked after a patient overnight.
The statement indicated that no additional nurses are expected until Monday.
As a result, the leadership declared the clinic closed except for extreme emergencies.
"We will not put our community at risk by continuing to expect the same level of nursing operation. We do not wish to put additional burden on the nurses who are already overworked, overtired and under extreme stress," the statement said.
K.I. said it is calling on the federal government and Health Canada to ensure that six nurses are working in the clinic.
The leadership is also asking the government to develop a strategy to prevent similar situations in the future.
Health Canada: more nurses are en route
Late Friday afternoon, Health Canada issued a statement about the situation in K.I. which partially contradicted the community's news release.
It said the department "has five nurses on the ground today" and is deploying additional resources that will bring the complement to seven by early next week.
According to the statement, while health services continued to be available, K.I. has experienced a temporary shortage of nurses.
It's a situation that is not unique to K.I. Health Canada indicated that the current vacancy rate for nurses serving First Nations communities is 21%.
"Nurse recruitment continues to be an issue, particularly in remote and isolated communities. Health Canada is looking at all possible options, including the call-up of agency nurses and redistribution of nurses between stations, to increase the nursing complement in K.I. and other remote communities," the statement said.
