Former Nunavut nurse petitions gov't to start promised review

A former Nunavut nurse has started an online petition callingon the territory's health minister to beginan external independent review of the handling of a nurse facing numerous allegations.

Gwen Slade says people in senior positions need to be held accountable for the way they dealt with nurse Debbie McKeown.

In 2012, McKeown refused see a three-month old baby one night, telling the parents to come back in the morning. The baby died hours later.

McKeown was promoted at the Cape Dorset Health Centre, despite 20 complaints about her practice and harassment of colleagues. Slade says it's been three months since the review was announced in the legislatureand it should be well underway by now.

"If they were acting, this would have been on the go already," she said.

"It isn't about acting fast, it's about acting, period. They've hunkered down.They're going to stay quiet.They're going to wait for the storm to blow over and it will be business as usual."

Slade says there are now more than 230 signatures on the petition.

She says shehopesto get 1,000 signaturesbefore sending it to Nunavut Health minister Paul Okalik.

Nunavut'sHealth department has not yet responded to CBC's request for comment.