ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE Primary health care accessibility challenges in remote indigenous communities in Canada’s North

Background. Despite many improvements, health disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous popu-lations in Canada’s North persist. While a strong primary health care (PHC) system improves the health of a population, the majority of indigenous communities are very remote, and their access to PHC services is likely reduced. Understanding the challenges in accessing PHC services in these communities is necessary to improve the health of the population. Objective. The objective of the study was to document and analyze the challenges in accessing PHC services by indigenous people in remote communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT) from the pers-pectives of users and providers of PHC services. Methods. Using explorative, qualitative methods, our study involved 14 semi-structured interviews with PHC service providers (SPs) and service users (SUs) in 5 communities across the NWT which varied according to population, remoteness, ethnic composition and health care resources. The interview guide was developed after key informant consultations. Results. Both SPs and SUs understood the constraints in providing equitable access to PHC services in remote communities. The provision of emergency care was found to be particularly challenging, because of the lack of qualified staff in the community and the dependence on aeromedical evacuations. Wider dissemination of firs