The tuberculosis epidemic persists in Nunavik. The key to ending it lies, on the one hand, in investing the necessary funds in basic care, particularly X-ray services, which are currently lacking in this vast territory; but above all, it is the inclusion of Inuit in decision-making and the coordination of health services that will make a difference.
This is the finding of a study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which draws attention to the challenges related to tuberculosis in Nunavik.
According to figures from the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (RRSSSN), as of April 2, 2026, there were already 38 reported cases of tuberculosis in Nunavik, which has a population of 14,000. In 2025, 116 cases were confirmed in the region, making it one of the places in the world with the highest per capita rate.
The study was conducted by a research team composed primarily of Inuit and First Nations members from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and the RRSSSN.
A total of 156 Inuit participated in the survey, which was conducted in partnership with the Inuulitsivik Health Centre and the Tulattavik Health Centre in Ungava. Through interviews and focus groups conducted in 2022 and 2023, it was possible to highlight the perspectives of Indigenous communities affected by the tuberculosis epidemic.
“It brought something very special to the interviews and focus groups we conducted. […] It was truly a decolonial approach, where respect was truly at the forefront of everything,” comments study co-author Glenda Sandy, an Indigenous nurse coordinator who is not from Nunavik but is a member of the Naskapi Kawawachikamach Nation.
“The goal of this research was to find out what [the Inuit] wanted public health officials to do. It really changes the way public health is approached,” notes Sandy, who has over 20 years of experience as a nurse.
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In the study, Inuit participants described a frequent need to travel to regional hospitals in Kuujjuaq or Puvirnituq—and sometimes even to Montreal—to access essential services such as X-rays, screening tests, and diagnostic procedures.
The study also notes that the underfunding of health services in Nunavik creates additional challenges for Inuit living with tuberculosis and their families. It calls for the efforts of Nunavik health authorities to be supported by urgent and sustained investments from the provincial and federal governments.
Nunavik consists of 14 villages that are accessible only by plane. “In some communities, we lack the capacity to provide basic tuberculosis care. This results in significant delays in patient care, investigations, and the implementation of interventions to prevent future outbreaks or control current ones,” says Yassen Tcholakov, senior physician in charge of infectious diseases at the Nunavik Public Health Department.
“Essentially, what we’re saying is that people need to have access to all basic tuberculosis services within their own community,” he continues. […] These services should be available in the village so that patients only have to leave their community if they need more advanced care. They shouldn’t have to leave their community just to undergo a diagnostic test that takes five minutes but, in the end, will cost them several days of travel.”
The RRSSSN is currently working to expand access to X-ray services. There are currently villages with ongoing outbreaks where there are no X-ray machines on site, Tcholakov noted.
“In recent years, we’ve explored certain solutions, such as portable machines that can be moved from one location to another, but there’s still a complexity to that,” he said, noting that a technician is needed to operate the machine, which is difficult to find at present. There is also a shortage of housing to accommodate healthcare professionals who come to work in the Far North.
A solution currently being developed by public health officials is a training program for Indigenous people living in the region. “To truly open the door for local people to receive training in performing chest X-rays. […] The technology is advanced enough now that it could be very safe and of very high quality without having to complete a three-year radiology technician training program,” says Faiz Ahmad Kahn, a pulmonologist and co-lead author of the study, who practices in Nunavik. He notes that Nunavut is already doing this and that it has been a success.
One of the things Kahn appreciates about the study is that the “answers are in the words of the Inuit.” Participants specifically spoke about the importance of a family support program. In practical terms, they want help when they have to be in isolation to buy food, assistance with “childcare logistics,” and financial aid in case of work stoppage. They also want easier access to care through transportation to the clinic or more home visits.
Tcholakov notes that approaches vary from one community to another. “In some communities, door-to-door visits work very well. Teams go door-to-door and either offer to take people to the CLSC or provide testing directly at home if that’s feasible. In some communities, we’re told that people don’t like having strangers come to their door and prefer that services be organized at the CLSC.”
Tcholakov is cautious in his predictions, but he believes that 2026 could end with a higher number of tuberculosis cases than in 2025. “That said, […] we are currently rolling out many interventions whose effects we should see in the coming years. So, I am hopeful that next year, because of what we’ve done this year, we’ll see some decline because we’re making efforts to find infectious individuals, offer them treatment, and prevent them from continuing to spread the disease.”
For her part, Sandy hopes the study’s findings will not be shelved. “We’ve seen with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the Viens Commission—these are all inquiries that have brought the truth to light. But progress toward reconciliation has been slow,” Sandy notes. She believes that the research project, conducted “to academic standards,” could bring “another truth” to light.
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The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
