Patients on medical travel have nowhere to stay in Yellowknife right now

The Keskorie medical boarding home in Yellowknife, along with all the city's hotels, are currently booked up — and that's leaving some medical patients without accommodations.  

Inuvik MLA Denny Rodgers said that's making the stress of medical travel all the more taxing as patients from other communities arrive for doctor and dentist appointments in the capital only to realize they have nowhere to stay. 

"These individuals, many of whom are elders, families with young children, or people facing serious health concerns, are already under tremendous stress due to their medical needs," Rodgers said in the legislature Wednesday. 

He said residents can sometimes wait months for their appointments, and rescheduling or cancelling can have serious consequences for their health and well-being. 

Health Minister Lesa Semmler said a rise in tourism is putting additional pressure on an already-strained accommodation system in the city.

She said her department is working to find a solution. For now, she's asking people with non-urgent medical appointments to push them back or book elsewhere.

"It's spring break, if you're traveling, maybe rebook your appointments in places where you're traveling to," she said. 

Semmler said her team is considering "securing" hotel rooms every day to hold for unexpected patient arrivals or discharges from the hospital.  

"NTHSSA [Northwest Territories Health and Social Service Authority] is also trying to use other contingency services to accommodate the overflow," she said. 

Semmler said staff are working on a communications plan to inform patients of the lack of places for them to stay. Once that's ready she says she'll share it with MLAs and on her social media.