The Yukon government has announced it will open the remaining wing of Copper Ridge Place for seniors.

'This means Copper Ridge Place will be running at full capacity with the addition of these 12 beds,' said Health Minister Brad Cathers.

The announcement came last Wednesday. The same day, Dr. Rao Tadepalli, president of the Yukon Medical Association, spoke out in local media about a shortage of long-term care beds turning into a 'crisis' situation in Whitehorse.

Nearly 30 per cent of the beds at Whitehorse General Hospital are currently occupied by seniors waiting for a space in a long-term care facility, Tadepalli said.

In a hospital with only 40 beds, filling up spaces with seniors waiting for nursing home spots is a burden on the system, costing up to three times more than it would to have spaces available at Copper Ridge, Tadepalli said in local media reports.

Only hours after the report, the Liberals questioned the government side about the 12 beds at Copper Ridge.

'When is this minister going to stop talking, planning, studying, and consulting, and actually open these much-needed beds?' asked Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell.

Cathers then stood and announced the management board had approved funding that morning and the beds would soon be opening.

People will make their own conclusions about the timing of the announcement, Cathers told the Star.

'There's a lot of work that goes into it. It takes time to work out the implications,' he said.

It will cost about $1.5 million a year to operate the 12-bed unit.

'It gives us the ability to address the majority of the wait list,' said Cathers. It will also help address pressure at the hospital, he added.

The department will be moving immediately to purchase equipment needed for the unit and to hire staff, said Cathers. But it could be months before the beds open, he said, declining to even estimate a potential date.

Premier Dennis Fentie didn't hesitate to say the Liberals had brought 'misinformation' to the legislature and were creating a 'gong show.'

Mitchell referred to a telephone discussion with Tadepalli. He said he had been told in addition to up to 10 beds being occupied by seniors, staffing shortages had caused the intensive care unit to shut down for part of a day and medevac flights had been unavailable.

'We have a health crisis on our hands,' said Mitchell. 'Doctors are desperate. If a heart-attack patient comes in, they may or may not have an ICU available. If the ICU is closed, they may or may not have a means of transporting the patients out. We don't have enough staff. '

The comments caused Michael Aeberhardt, CEO of Whitehorse General Hospital, to host a press conference last Thursday to refute the claims.

Aeberhardt said ICU did not shut down on that day nor has it ever shut down since he became CEO in October 2006.

He added there are actually 49 acute-care beds at the hospital, of which 10 to 20 per cent are occupied by long-term patients on a given day.

The current waiting list for long-term beds is at 19 people, said Cathy Morton-Bielz, assistant deputy minister of the Health department.

Six of those individuals are currently in beds at the hospital, said hospital spokesperson Val Pike.

Tadepalli, however, is standing by his statements. 'Every week or so, we are told that ICU nurses are short or that there are no medevac nurses to fly out so the burden is left on the Yukon MD to sort this mess out,' he said.

He is also standing by what he told Mitchell and says it would be untrue to label the Liberal as simply misinformed.

Aeberhardt answered in great detail about what is really happening at the hospital, said Fentie.

'Now you have the two of them disputing each other. I only relayed what I was told,' Mitchell told the Star.

The real issue is the Yukon is experiencing an ongoing problem because of shortages, he said.

'Of course patients are cared for, but is this the best way to care for them. That's the issue.'