Whitehorse General Hospital on October 23rd. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – The Yukon Government says they are on track to open the new Mental Wellness Unit at Whitehorse General Hospital which has been delayed to next June due to what the opposition says is another victim of chronic underfunding of healthcare.
The delay marks a setback, with the Yukon Party saying there were some indications that the unit would open in July, 2024.
Health and Social Services Critic Brad Cathers highlighted a report from Ernst & Young that revealed the Yukon Hospital Corporation had to divert $7.3 million in capital funding to cover operational costs due to a lack of adequate funding in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
“This is another consequence of the chronic underfunding of our hospitals that was confirmed in the damning report from Ernst and Young released a year ago,” said Cathers.
Laura Seeley, a spokesperson at Cabinet Communications, attributes the delay to supply chain issues, not a lack of funding.
She emphasized that the government is on track to open the Mental Wellness Unit in 2025, rejecting the opposition’s claims of chronic underfunding. “We have and will continue to make the necessary investments, get the work done, and focus on meeting the needs of Yukoners now and into the future,” Seeley said in an email response.
