Sandy Lee

I don’t think it is helpful for us to go through all of the financial details. I think there is some disagreement about what should be funded and such, but I just want to say I am proud of the work that the centre does. I recognize the important work that the centre does. It is an integral part of a spectrum of services that we need to provide not only in Yellowknife, but also for a lot of people that use their service all across the Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud, actually, of the level of funding that we have provided to the centre too, so it is not always about how much money you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 3, Medical Profession Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill replaces the Medical Profession Act. It modernizes the processes for the registration and discipline of medical practitioners in the Northwest Territories. It makes consequential amendments to the Ophthalmic Medical Assistance Act and the Pharmacy Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’ve been to Hay River many times, but I’m sure the Member knows all the ins and outs of these areas much better than I.

The latest information that we have is the Site Selection Committee…We have a committee that works to look at all the advantages and disadvantages of the sites. They are recommending the particular site the Member has preference to. I am sure there are other parties in discussing that, so I will work on that further and keep the Members advised. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct that the master development plan and the hospital plan for Hay River is moving forward. It’s now going into the planning study phase, and my understanding is that to complete that, there has to be an identification of the new site and I do understand there are a couple areas being looked at. I will work with all of the people involved and the other Ministers to find the best site for that property and to obviously consult with Members from the area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I was in Sachs Harbour with the Member when we discussed this. I believe they had some issues with flight schedules and such, so they didn’t have a doctor right before last Christmas for about two months.

Mr. Speaker, the rule is that all of the communities in the Beaufort-Delta have to have a doctor in five weeks. They know the rule and they are to follow that, and when they are not able to do that, they need to step up to the plate.

The second thing is, Mr. Speaker, we do have a good Medical Travel Policy, where there is no doctor coverage in the communities, nursing staff is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently for the Beaufort-Delta region, doctors’ visits are scheduled for every five weeks. I do understand that under certain circumstances and weather conditions that doctors’ visits are longer than five weeks. Part of the Foundation for Change Action Plan speaks to an NWT medical model where we could have more flexibility to enhance doctor coverage in small communities and I look forward to working with the Members on the other side through that process so that we can enhance doctor coverage, especially in small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In planning a health facility, the Health department…My department’s role is looking at the programming, the functioning and the flow and that sort of thing. Once it gets into the planning study, DPW takes over, but obviously we are talking about government departments working together. Be mindful of the fact that whenever we are talking about land, there are all kinds of titles, descriptions and complexities that could arise. So I will undertake to get back to the Member upon consultation with the DPW Minister and the ITI Minister and looking at the ownership and site and such. So we will...

Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that the Site Selection Committee is recommending the property that the Member is speaking to. I need to get more into the details about how to make that happen, so I will take that under advisement and get back to the Member. Thank you.

With respect to H1N1, I need people to know that when they’re watching the national media, the only thing they need to get out of that is we are doing much better than down south.

Mr. Speaker, it’s really important for people to know that we have enough vaccine for everybody who needs it, wants it, in the NWT at hand. We’re not looking for any other supplies, so no one has to wait for Christmas. We’re not asking anybody to hold back. In fact, we are asking people to go in and get vaccinated, so that’s another message.

The third one is, everyone is a priority in the NWT. We have no priority list...

Mr. Speaker, I agree that the Member has been flexible for the last two years. What I meant is that our medical model is not as flexible to respond to the needs of our communities. Mr. Speaker, right now we don’t have a permanent doctor in our NWT communities and regions other than Yellowknife and Inuvik. In all other places, even if there are doctor PYs funded, we’re just not able to have permanent doctor residents. We’re lucky in the Beaufort-Delta that we have Dr. De Klerk and his staff and he attracts a following, so to speak. I believe there are about six to seven doctor positions there...