Kinngait health centre to close next week due to staff shortages
The closure will last until Sept. 30. In the meantime there will be paramedics on site
The Kinngait health centre is closing from Aug. 9 until Sept. 30 due to staff shortages, the Nunavut government announced in a news release on Wednesday.
Paramedics will be on site during the closure for emergency and life-threatening situations. There will also be virtual support services.
The news release said calls will go through the health centre but may be automatically forwarded to other communities, and warned there may be delays as a result.
"Callers are recommended not to hang up," the news release said.
The government recommended that Kinngait residents fill up on prescriptions before the closure, to avoid delays.
COVID-19 vaccines are still available by appointment.
The territorial government had previously warned there would be closures in various communities this summer — the second summer in a row.
The government previously blamed the situation on a national shortage of health-care professionals, and says it is "aggressively pursuing recruitment."
This comes as the territory deals with a "resurgence" of bronchiolitis and respiratory syncytial virus.