A four-year-old boy from Nunavik died in Montreal on August 3 after experiencing severe abdominal pain for several days.
Jusi Padlayat’s family says they sought medical care multiple times before he was found unconscious at home on August 1. He was then evacuated to Montreal for treatment but died two days later.
The family believes he may have suffered from appendicitis, though this has not been confirmed.
Jusi Padlayat’s grandmother posted plea’s for help on Facebook days before Padlayat’s death.
The coroner has opened an inquest into the death.
“We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and all those affected by the incident. A coroner has been mandated to conduct an investigation to shed light on the causes and circumstances surrounding the child’s death,” said Jake Lamotta Granato, communications officer for the Coroner’s Office. “At the end of her investigation, if she deems it appropriate, the coroner may also make recommendations. These are preventive measures that aim to protect human life and prevent deaths in similar circumstances.”
Nunavik Police Service told CityNews in a statement:
“First, our thoughts are with the child’s family during this very difficult time.I can confirm that on August 1, 2026, the Nunavik Police Service responded to a medical assistance call involving a four-year-old child who was unconscious at his residence in Ivujivik. As they responded, emergency medical services were already transporting the child to the CLSC. Our records do not indicate any other calls for service involving the child prior to August 1.”
The case has renewed attention to health-care access in Nunavik, where many remote communities do not have hospitals and rely on medical evacuations for serious cases.
Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services provided the following about the investgation:
“Our thoughts are with everyone who is grieving and with all those who have been affected by this tragedy.We have a responsibility to ensure that the circumstances around this tragedy are thoroughly and objectivelyexamined. We are committed to transparency and to shedding light on the circumstances surrounding thisloss.”
“Internally, the IHC clinical directorates have been mobilized, and a multidisciplinary review of the casehas been initiated. Independent and external processes are also underway. The coroner responsible for thecase has initiated her investigation, the Office of the Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner isinvolved, and an independent medical examiner external to the IHC will also review the case. The IHC is fullycooperating with all parties involved and will provide the information required to support these processes.”
On social media, many expressed their anger after Jusi’s death.
Federal MP Mandy Gull-Masty, whose constituency covers Nunavik, expressed her solidarity with Jusi’s family.
“Inuit families and communities should have access to safe and reliable health care, especially children and youth, who are the future of our communities,” she said in a statement. “We expect the Quebec government and the medical personnel involved to treat this situation with the utmost seriousness. The system must provide answers to the family and the community, while working to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
