Time to ‘think outside the box’ to fix Yukon hospital staffing challenges, doctor says – CBC

Whitehorse, Dawson City hospitals advertising dozens of jobs amid service delays, operating room closures

Nov 28, 2023

A doctor who works in Yukon says it’s time to find new ways to address the shortage in health-care workers — for example, by delegating more work to nurse practitioners or physician assistants.

Dr. Kevin McLeod, an internal medicine specialist who divides his time between Whitehorse and Vancouver, said it has become “exceedingly challenging” to keep up with demand in the Yukon.

Amid a shortage of staff, McLeod said he saw more than 60 new patients and even more follow-ups in a three-day span at Whitehorse General Hospital this month.

The Yukon Hospital Corporation has warned of service delays, and cut down its room appointments — citing costs, inflation, and a need to ensure its services remain sustainable.

But McLeod told CBC’s Yukon Morning the problem was not necessarily a lack of funding.

“There are solutions that don’t have to be expensive,” he said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-hospital-staffing-solutions-1.7038934