A First Nation in northern Ontario is limiting health services to emergencies only due to a lack of nurses.
Kashechewan First Nation says staffing at its nursing station has dropped to three primary care nurses, down from its usual nine.
Health Director Jonathan Solomon says the community’s health-care system is in crisis, with services like blood work, prenatal care and walk-in appointments not being offered.
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Solomon says fewer nurses have been arriving on the nursing station’s scheduled rotations over the last six week as Canada’s health system contends with a shortage of staff driven by pandemic-related burnout and other factors.
But he notes that Kashechewan residents aren’t able to drive elsewhere for care because the community of 1,900 people is only accessible by plane.
Community leadership is calling for a nurse recruitment plan from Indigenous Services Canada, and a plan for the possibility that the community could have zero nurses on the ground soon.
