It takes an average of six weeks to get a primary healthcare appointment in the NWT, leaving the territory's health and social services authority seeking to improve its wait times.

How this six-week figure compares to wait times prior to the Covid-19 pandemic is impossible to determine, according to health authority communications director Krystal Pidborochynski, who noted the GNWT's delivery model for appointments has changed since the pandemic.

"However, we anticipate that over time as our new model is implemented, wait times should improve," she said.

Pidborochynski is referring to the GNWT's primary healthcare reform, which took 10 teams of staff and combined them into four larger teams. In May last year, Yellowknife’s new Liwegoati building — a medical centre — opened, bringing changes to how the territory delivers primary care.

The GNWT created four teams to improve workload balance and patient access, according to the GNWT. Each team includes clinical and non-clinical staff — such as physicians, nurse practitioners and wellness advisors. Patients may see different healthcare providers depending on their needs, but they will remain within the same team, improving continuity of care and potentially reducing wait times, the territorial government noted.

Asked if the authority has seen any trends in wait times generally, Pidborochynski said things are looking up, crediting the integrated care team model, the Liwegoati building and the health authority's efforts to improve booking systems.

"We are seeing general improvements to wait times while continuing to find more ways to improve within our existing capacity," she said.

In January, Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan told ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø that, amid primary care reform in the NWT, most doctors have taken on a heavy new caseload of patients.

"That caused a huge amount of paperwork and administrative work that is taking up more time than ever before," Morgan said at the time. "Doctors should be doing doctor work as much as possible, not administrative work."

On April 29, the MLA said she'd like to know more about how the health authority is measuring its average wait times, when she heard the system is reporting general improvements. 

"I know there's been problems with the phone system and even getting a hold of anyone in primary care," Morgan said.

Pidborochynski said one of the specific initiatives the health authority has underway is enhancing phone systems at primary care.

"There are more things around primary care that need to be measured, besides wait times, to indicate whether patients are being served appropriately," Morgan added, "and whether we're using doctors or nurse practitioners' time efficiently."

When it comes to new patients trying to find a primary care physician, Pidborochynski said that if they are not currently on a wait list, when they call to make a future appointment, they can make that request. She added that the health authority is working with healthcare providers and patient representatives to eventually have all Yellowknife residents attached to specific teams.

"Clarifying the process for becoming attached to an integrated care team is an area we have prioritized for improvement," she noted.

Staffing levels also play a role in access to primary care, Pidborochynski acknowledged. She said there will be ebbs and flows in staffing, including the use of locum physicians.

"As is the case nationally, attracting primary care providers is very challenging. We aim to meet consistent staffing targets in primary care, but this remains challenging."

Locums are temporarily contracted physicians, and an overwhelming number of physicians in the NWT were locums last calendar year. In fact, the GNWT spent nearly $41 million on those locums in 2024, according to documents obtained via an access to information request.

The Department of Health and Social Services made use of 509 locums in 2024, according to the requested documents. In contrast, there were only 50 physicians registered in the territory as of Sept. 30, 2024.