MHA Lela Evans is calling on government and the provincial health authority to address retention and recruitment of staff in the region and stop “the erosion of health care services in her district.”

The provincial health authority recently reduced services at the Nain Health Clinic to emergency-only for several days but, according to Evans, failed to communicate to people in the region. Nain is the largest community in northern Labrador and has a large population of Elders and youth. Communities in the region are not connected by road meaning patients cannot access care in the next closest community leaving them to wait until the Nain clinic reopens.

“Government must ensure that we have enough health care staff to deliver at least the bare
minimum of health care to our people,” said Evans. “Any changes or interruptions to our health
services must include local knowledge and be communicated properly for the benefit and safety
of residents.

“I feared that the loss of our regional health authority would further erode our health care – and
that’s what’s happening,” said Evans. “I place blame at this government’s feet because they
rushed to make these drastic changes without properly planning or preparing. The least we
should expect is that they properly communicate when they are failing to provide healthcare
services to us, but they cannot even give us that.”

NTV News is following the story.