The Whitehorse General Hospital frequently has more patients than beds available, and “many” surgical cases are being cancelled, according to a group of Yukon surgeons.
Six Yukon Surgical Clinic physicians have written a letter to Yukoners to tell them how surgical services are being impacted by hospital overflow.
“Given that we schedule cases months in advance, rescheduling those cases is never easy. Much of this is beyond our control,” reads the surgeons’ letter, dated April 22.
The letter warns Yukoners that, despite continued advocacy, their cases may get cancelled at the last minute.
“Recognizing that the population growth of our territory has outpaced infrastructure growth of both hospital beds and operating room facilities, this will be the new reality for the foreseeable future,” reads the letter.
That letter was subsequently mailed to the News from someone who identified as a concerned health-care worker and patient. A note from the sender indicates the population has outgrown the hospital. Thus, a bigger hospital with more beds, more operating rooms and better funding is needed.
The Yukon government allows hospital overflow space at two long-term care homes as of Feb. 8, the same day extraordinary steps were taken to address an abnormally busy emergency room and inpatient units at the Whitehorse General Hospital.
READ MORE: Cabinet permits overflow hospital space at 2 Yukon long-term care homes
Patients at the main hospital in the Yukon’s capital can potentially expect to get assessed and cared for in makeshift spaces and see emergency medical services workers working inside the hospital as the facility copes with being “very busy,” according to an advisory put out by the Yukon Hospital Corporation earlier on Feb. 8.
Yukoners can also expect to see and be seen by military doctors, nurses and other health-care workers deployed to work and train in the Yukon’s health system — something the territorial health minister says isn’t happening anywhere else in Canada.
Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee has insisted the territory’s health system isn’t in a state of emergency.
While debating the health budget with Yukon Party health critic Brad Cathers on April 30, McPhee noted the Yukon Hospital Corporation has “experienced sustained growth across services year over year.”
McPhee told the house that between February 2023 and February 2024, hospital occupancy rose from 87 per cent in 2023 to 101 per cent in 2024.
She said the hospital system has seen growth in emergency room visits by two per cent, five-per-cent growth in the number of surgeries, nine-per-cent growth in lab tests, 35-per-cent growth in chemotherapy services, 24-per-cent growth in demand for medical rehabilitation and an overall increase in imaging exams.
“With respect to surgical services planning, certainly there is no question that surgical services have increased,” McPhee said.
“Prior to 2017, there was no orthopedic surgical program available here in the territory. It is something that we introduced, and it is something that has grown steadily, providing a much-needed service for Yukoners.”
McPhee said the Whitehorse General Hospital is projecting 4,400 surgeries to be done in 2024-25.
In 2022-23, the hospital completed 641 more surgeries than it was funded for, Cathers pointed out.
Two resident orthopedic surgeons announced in a letter to other doctors in early April that they aren’t taking new patients for elective orthopedic surgeries because there is no new money or support for the program.
The Yukon Surgical Clinic has temporarily stopped accepting referrals for elective consultations, according to the letter from Dr. Adam McIntyre and Dr. Scott Westberg.
The two doctors wrote that they have been consulted by and negotiating with the Yukon government for two years.
Per the letter, the doctors are focused on treating active patients and those already in line.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com