Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our Medical Travel Policy allows for our residents to be provided with one escort. Sometimes it’s because the patient needs physical support or mental support or language support. So that is the policy we have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just to state again sending our patients south to see if we can reduce their wait time, my understanding is that actually most general surgeries, Alberta or any other provinces, one year is the norm. It is a national issue and it is a serious issue.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, Stanton and the department is working hard to look at the entire specialist delivery service to see how we can lengthen the wait time and better provide service. For example, we are aware of the fact that some of the delays at Stanton happened because of the bed shortages. We are looking to review that. Our medical directors...

First on the topic of patient wait time guarantee, it is a big national issue. Wait time issue is a national issue. The federal government has made some investments, but I don’t believe it’s about setting the standard and making everybody meet the standard. It’s about changing the system and better aligning health care professionals, using technology, just better management of the resources we have so that we maximize and, therefore, reduce the wait time.

I am aware that for general surgery, which could include -- I don’t want to get highly technical because, obviously, I am not a doctor -- it...

Mr. Speaker, yes, I would be happy to commit to follow up on this and work with the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority to see what happened in those two cases. I am sure that they have lots of information to help us with that, and if there are any clarifications or enforcement needed, I would also present that to them. Thank you.

Generally speaking, it would be between the patient or the patient’s immediate family and the health care professional on the ground. They would talk about the need for a person to be medevaced, whether it’s Yellowknife to any other places, for what reason and that there would be all the people involved working together.

The situation that the Member described in his Member’s statement, I don’t want to get into the details of it, and I do not know the details other than what he said. But I would like to say that in certain circumstances, the medical personnel on a medical flight may say either...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT has one of the most generous medical travel policies for our residents and families. It’s been in existence for many years. We do not distinguish by condition. We do allow for one medical escort for medical purpose or for language purpose and for elders who are over 60.

Mr. Speaker, routinely, daily, I do get requests, for whatever reason, whether it be elderly or medically fragile infant or cancer patients or all kinds of reasons why many members want to have access to medical travel, but it is not possible, it is not allowed. We are allowed one medical escort...

Mr. Speaker, I believe all the Members in the House and the government recognizes and understands that there are many medical conditions that are serious, that are trying and it is about life and death, whether it is cancer, whether it is heart attack, you name it. There are so many procedures that our residents need on a day-to-day basis that our people will tell you that are pressing to them whether it is breast cancer, colorectal cancer, somebody who is in a car accident. We could go on and on. We have a general policy that allows our residents to access those services where it is necessary...

Mr. Speaker, as the Member knows, we have a lot of services in the NWT, but there are many that we do not. Our residents have to be able to travel outside of the NWT to obtain the services they need. Where that is an insured service, we do provide a medical escort. We do not distinguish by disease. We provide medical travel for all services that are covered on the health insurance and health services under the Canada Health Act, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, access families, we do not provide 100 percent of coverage for travel. Families do have to bear some costs in circumstances where their family...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for the Member, but that was quite a scathing statement talking about how unresponsive I am, which makes me wonder what kind of a Member is she to wait for 18 months before she brings up an issue about her constituent.

Mr. Speaker, we work on the same floor; we work in the same building; my BlackBerry is on 24 hours a day. She knows that a simple phone call or an e-mail could have given her an update. Mr. Speaker, at the same time, her scandalous headline, she did answer her own question in that…

I want to answer the question about...

Mr. Speaker, we have a medical policy that applies to all conditions whether it be cancer, transplant, premature baby who needs to be in an incubator, all kinds of medical procedures, and they work. I don’t think we want to be looking at creating 100 different policies depending on the specified condition that would require putting values on medical procedures that our residents need. Our policy is that we will provide medical travel per resident for one medical escort who needs to be with the patient. Mr. Speaker, that works and it is one of the best in the country. Thank you.