Doctors return to Trout, Peerless Lakes

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Weekly medical clinics were restored in two northern Alberta communities after the federal and provincial governments agreed to share the cost of flying in doctors.

Under a new six-month deal, Ottawa and the province agreed to split the cost while they work out a long-term funding arrangement for Trout Lake, Peerless Lake and several other northern communities.

"I just got back from Trout Lake and the people are very relieved," said Paul Caffaro, a Slave Lake doctor who had been organizing clinics in Trout, Peerless and Chipewyan Lakes.

"I think what is going to come out of this is a piece of paper that both sides will honor because they negotiated it."

Ottawa unilaterally decided to stop paying for the flights in March. Medical services, the branch of the health department funding the flights, said they were only responsible for serving status Indians and could not afford to continue general services

for mixed communities.

The cancellation of the flights, and an unrelated decision by the regional health unit to remove drugs from the communities, practically stripped Trout Lake and Peerless Lake of medical services. Residents of the twin communities had to make a 300 km trek to Slave Lake to visit doctors or pick up prescriptions.

Provincial and federal government officials are not releasing details of the current set of negotiations. But medical services spokesman Len Albrecht said he feels "positive and confident" that a permanent agreement will be reached by the time the interim arrangement expires.

Meanwhile, drugs removed from Trout Lake and Peerless Lake have not been returned and it does not appear the region's health unit is about to change its policy.

In response to questions in the Alberta legislature from the region's MLA, Health Minister Nancy Betkowski said in the future doctors will have to carry prescriptions with them on community visits.

"What we had in the past were public health nurses in the position of prescribing and dispensing pharmaceuticals, which is not an allowable scope of practice for a public health nurse," Betkowski said.