Tom Beaulieu

I’m not sure I would commit to doing an inquiry, but I think we could check out, to keep it simple, to determine whether or not it’s our responsibility to go on to the highways through the Medical Travel Policy, medical travel to be able to go on the highway and get people through that service or if we’re using the system where we are trying to enhance certain ground ambulance services and key strategic communities throughout the North. I’m not sure if I could call for a public inquiry, but I could get that information and find out how this process works and get back to the Members.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We’re talking about 8-17, the health services administration division. I just want to get clarification because I’m not clear on what page we’re on here.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would have the deputy minister provide response to that. Thank you.

We’re just going to quickly add up the number here. I think it is $6.5 million.

I apologize. I thought that the Member had indicated that he was talking about the health services administration again, as he did in the first question. This is a question on the health and social services authority administration. I will have the director of finance provide a response.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I don’t have that information on the date, but we think that review had occurred in 2007, but we can check to confirm that.

Again, if there’s an accident and someone is in an accident that is on a highway that is out of one of the communities and it’s not something covered by medical travel or medevac services, as for the information I have, I’m not familiar with what the protocol is for getting people on the highways for such an accident as this. The first responders recognize that we’re trying to put regulations in to add emergency medical services in the medical professional umbrella legislation so that we can have that, so that we can have ambulance services where people would be qualified and insurable to be...

Thank you. To introduce more long-term care beds is a capital item, but we are working on that. So just to indicate what type of work we’re doing, I guess leading up to the need for more capital, I again ask the deputy minister to provide some detail.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The funding for the authorities in the travel area is not broken out separately. It is rolled into the grants and contributions.

Thank you, Madam Chair. To my right I have Debbie DeLancey, deputy minister of Health and Social Services. To my left is Jeannie Mathison, director of finance, Health and Social Services. Thank you.