Re: open question about surgical services infrastructure at Whitehorse General Hospital (WGH).
In a recent letter, the Yukon Medical Association identified the need to collaboratively meet the challenges facing Yukon’s health care system, including those caused by our aging surgical services and hospital infrastructure.
In 2018, a report titled “Whitehorse General Hospital: Surgical Services Renewal Project” was completed. The report recommended a 20-year requirement of four Operating Rooms when accounting for population growth, aging demographics, waitlists, and backlogs.
It recommended the four ORs be identical for consistency, flexibility and safety. It also outlined a requirement to significantly increase hospital infrastructure.
Today, WGH has the only two ORs in the territory. It also has a flex room that can accommodate minor diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Since the report’s completion in 2018, the population of the Yukon has grown by over 6,000 people.
Also, surgical service volumes increased from 2,617 in the 2017/18 year to 3,841 in the 2022/23 year. Despite the tremendous efforts of doctors, nurses, cleaning staff and booking clerks to step up and do more with the same, this strain is unsustainable, and patients are suffering as a result.
The recent opening of five new hospital beds available at Thomson Centre for acute care patients is a critical first step to increasing hospital system capacity, and the new Mental Wellness Unit at WGH is projected to open this fall.
While these are positive developments for our hospital system, they do not address recommendations to upgrade aging surgical services and hospital infrastructure at WGH.
The health and well-being of our patients is paramount, and appropriate infrastructure ensures Yukoners receive the best health care possible.
Acknowledging the challenges facing our health care system, a question emerges: when will WGH receive the recommended upgrades to its aging surgical services and hospital infrastructure to ensure the well-being of Yukoners?
Dr. Alex Kmet
President
Yukon Medical Association
Whitehorse
