The hospital in Whitehorse can currently only conduct 35 x-rays per day, reaching that limit by mid-morning on most days.

And if someone needs a mammogram — which doctors use to find early signs of breast cancer — they may need to wait a year.

This information was revealed in the legislature Monday by the Yukon Party. Its members blame chronic underfunding of the Yukon Hospital Corp. by the current government for the delays.

“This funding crisis is now causing a health care crisis,” Yukon Party MLA Brad Cathers said.

In response, Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee told the House the government has increased funding for the hospital corporation by 32.64 per cent since 2017, and that it’s working to fix the issues.

“We hope to fully mitigate the slowdowns that are being noted here with respect to these issues,” McPhee said.

She did not deny the problems, however.

She said they are the result of the “health human resource crises,” which includes an increased dependency on agency nurses, as well as inflationary pressures.

“With respect to cost-cutting measures, certainly the Yukon Hospital Corporation takes seriously their obligation to abide by a budget,” McPhee said.

In detailing the problems, Cathers and Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon relied on internal emails they have obtained from hospital corporation employees.

These show cutbacks are already in place for many services.

“Internal documents from the Yukon Hospital Corporation that show that this isn’t just being explored; there is a reduction in medical imaging services being implemented already,” Dixon told the legislature.

He raised the issues with mammography first. Despite the wait list, he said, the hospital is reducing mammograms from 120 down to 75 this month – with further reductions in December.

This makes the wait worse for what Dixon called a “potentially life-saving exam.”

McPhee was asked specifically if the government would make up the funding shortfall for mammograms.

Despite previously acknowledging budget pressures, she said, “The Government of Yukon continues to fully meet the funding needs of the Yukon Hospital Corporation.”

According to the internal emails Dixon read to the legislature, this is not the case.

“‘Additional measures will be taken in some areas starting in December to get us to our final goal of offering services within our current budget,’” Dixon said, quoting one of the emails.

“The e-mail goes on to say that corporate communications and social media posts are being prepared to — quote: ‘… remind patients that hospital services will now experience longer wait times.’”

On x-rays, Cathers said the daily cap of 35 x-rays per day is not nearly enough to meet Yukoners’ needs.

“We have also heard from Yukoners who have been turned away already from x-rays because the daily cap was hit by mid-morning,” Cathers told the House.

These caps also extend to CT scans, which are now limited at 15 per day, he added.

This, he says, is all a result of the budget the hospital corporation has been given by the government.

“They are imposing cost containment measures to fit the budget that they have been given by the Liberal government,” Cathers said.

McPhee said the Yukon Party does not have its facts straight.

However, she acknowledged there are issues at the hospital and there were reduced services due to budget constraints.

“We are working with the Yukon Hospital Corporation to resolve the issues that are currently noted,” McPhee said.

“I am not sure what documents the other members have, but the ones that I have indicate that we are working and taking steps immediately to draft responses and to work with the Yukon Hospital Corporation in relation to information that came forward to us last week regarding potential options for reduced amounts of expenditures at the hospital.”