The vast northern territory of Nunavut has been operating without a full-time medical officer of health since August following the resignation of the physician recruited to fill the post just 15 months ago.
Dr. Geraldine Osborne of Ireland resigned as head of public health for the 2 million square km region in August. As of press time, no replacement had been hired.
Her predecessor, Dr. Ann Roberts, resigned in 2002 after spending 3 years in the role. Osborne, a veteran of Ireland's public health system, said family concerns and the stress of working in an underdeveloped health care system contributed to her decision to resign. “The biggest problem with working in the North was that there was a huge turnover of staff all the time,” she said in an interview from Cork, Ireland. “It's a huge problem to retain people.”
Since the territory, which has 29 000 residents, was created in 1999, its government has struggled to hire and keep qualified health care professionals. There are only 11 physicians in the entire territory. “Everything has just been established, so there's a lot of work to do,” Osborne added.
Dr. Richard Nuttall of Victoria is the acting health officer until a replacement is found, but officials say an on-site physician is badly needed. Bernie Blais, Nunavut's deputy minister of health and social services, said the health needs of the population are high in comparison with other provinces and territories because the small population is spread among 26 communities.
“We have a severe housing shortage that leads to people living in overcrowded conditions, so if you have an outbreak of the flu it's more apt to be worse here,” said Blais. “We've had outbreaks of tuberculosis and we also have a high rate of STDs.”
When the country's highest suicide rate — 5 times the national average — is added to the mix, Blais said Nunavut's public health problems are daunting. “Where do you start?” he asks. — Brad Mackay, Toronto
Figure. A 2 million square km territory