PUVIRNITUQ - Even if they're surrounded by vast bodies of water as far as the eye can see, residents of Quebec's Far North lack a reliable water supply.

Not only does this impact citizens' health through the spread of diseases, but it weakens the quality of care and forces health workers to get creative in order to help their patients.

The Inuulitsivik Health Centre, located in Puvirnituq, serves seven communities running up the coast of Hudson Bay. The facility regularly lacks water, according to Dr. Vincent Rochette-Coulombe, who is starting his third year as a doctor in the community.

This lack of water has a direct impact on patients, he said. He gives the example of a chest drain, which requires inserting a tube into a hole created between two ribs.

"You don't have water to wash y

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