NationTalk: Iqaluit, Nunavut – This week Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) is pleased to host Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, in the Nunavut communities of Naujaat, Mittimatalik, and Iqaluit. Dr. Tam’s tour coincides with the launch of a community-wide screening clinic for tuberculosis (TB) in Naujaat.

Naujaat and Mittimatalik are currently experiencing TB outbreaks, a preventable and treatable disease that affects Nunavut Inuit at rates 400 times greater than the national average. The visit to Nunavut will be an opportunity for Canada’s top doctor to work with NTI, and in partnership with the GN, to see firsthand some of the social issues, such as housing shortages and food insecurity, that impact the health of Nunavut Inuit.

Dr. Tam will be accompanied on the trip by NTI Vice President Paul Irngaut, Government of Nunavut Minister of Health John Main, Nunavut’s Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Ekua Agyemang, and several staff members from NTI, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and the Government of Nunavut.

“Nunavut Inuit face challenges that don’t affect most Canadians when accessing healthcare,” said Paul Irngaut, Vice President of NTI. “Having Dr. Tam on the ground visiting Nunavut communities will give her the opportunity to see firsthand some of the barriers that Inuit face when trying to navigate the healthcare system in Nunavut.”

The tour will conclude with two days of meetings and events in Iqaluit. Though TB will be a focus of the entire visit, Dr. Tam will also meet with community groups and organizations to discuss homelessness, health education, mental health, and health research initiatives in Nunavut, among other topics.

-30-

Media Contact:

Kevin Kablutsiak
Director of Communication
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
media@tunngavik.com