Dear party leaders,
As leaders of our political system, I urge you to consider the following deeply since your work allocates our public resources and shapes the growth and development of our territory. This letter is a plea for you to cast political calculations aside and come together to stabilize health care in our territory. Now, more than ever, Yukoners need all hands on deck for the sake of their health.
Our health care system is in crisis and its integrity frays as crisis persists. More than 17 per cent of Yukoners lack access to a family doctor. According to the most recent Yukon Medical Association (YMA) physician survey, 41 per cent of our current family doctors plan to close their practices in the next five years and 64 per cent of patients attached to those doctors could be orphaned.
Furthermore, our surgical services and hospital system do not have adequate infrastructure to meet current demands, let alone support future growth. For example, Yukoners languish 16 to 21 months on a waitlist for hip and knee replacement surgery, according to cabinet communications referenced by local media in April. In contrast, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) recommends a benchmark wait time of six months for hip and knee replacement surgery.
Additionally, CIHI data outlines that the Yukon has spent the least on health per capita of all three territories. Looking further, the most up-to-date reporting available from CIHI on health system spending outlines that the Yukon was the only jurisdiction in Canada forecasted to spend less on health per capita in 2023 compared to 2022.
Our surgical services and hospital system will not sustainably meet the needs of Yukoners without upgraded infrastructure. Population and demographic trends are the basic math proving the need, and the public calls by physicians as far back as 2016 have remained consistent. While the costs of infrastructure upgrades are high, they are necessary for ensuring that every Yukoner receives the best health care possible now and into the future.
I implore you to also safeguard the development of a rural family medicine program in the Yukon. Yellowknife’s overwhelmingly positive and transformational experience is evidence of the value this will bring. Our community needs a program that trains doctors locally so that we are cared for by those who know and understand us.
We need to see concrete investments in our health-care system because the status quo cannot be tolerated. Yukon’s doctors cannot continue to witness the suffering caused by a system in crisis and Yukoners deserve the highest quality person-centered care possible.
Please commit to de-politicizing health care and working together to appropriately resource and support our health-care system in crisis.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alex Kmet
President, Yukon Medical Association
