Northern health stats improving slowly

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The health care status of people in Northern Saskatchewan has improved dramatically over the last several years, but there is still a way to go before it is comparable to other parts of the province, says a health official.

"We're seeing a shift from those improved situations in infectious diseases to more chronic illnesses," said Dr. James Irvine, medical health officer for the Athabasca health authority and Mamawetan Churchill River and Keewatin Yathe health districts.

Irvine outlined the successes and challenges facing the three health organizations at the ninth annual northern health conference in Prince Albert Oct. 21 to 22.

He said a wide-scale vaccination program begun in 1996 has eliminated new cases of Hepatitis A in Northern Saskatchewan, with one new case diagnosed last year compared to almost 140 in 1992.

New cases of tuberculosis are also steadily declining, although the rate in Northern Saskatchewan is still significantly higher than in the rest of the province.

Infant mortality rates and life expectancy are also showing marked signs of improvement, said Irvine, adding the two are important indicators of health status.

On the other hand, incidents of diabetes, heart disease and cancer are growing in the North, he said. For example, rates for lung and cervical cancer are much greater in the northern health districts than they are in the rest of Saskatchewan.

"The root cause of all those (problems) - whether they're infectious diseases or chronic diseases - are underlying issues of social, economic (and) environmental situations," said Irvine.

These factors aren't unique to northern communities but their impact is greater, he said.

Innovative solutions created locally are needed, and must be developed through partnerships with agencies in areas such as education, economic development and the environment, he said.

Irvine said he's optimistic the health organizations can overcome the enormous challenges they're facing to improve the health of their residents.

"I think the North has shown a remarkable resiliency over the years in terms of dealing with quite a number of challenges," he said.