Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I heard an interesting exchange on the radio last week regarding the strengthening of Canada’s health system. The analyst in the interview compared health systems in other countries to that of Canada and suggested we have much to learn from those other countries. Compared to Australia and Germany, for instance, Canada spends more money per capita on health care and achieves less in the quality of health outcomes. Australia, for instance, spends 40 percent less on health care than we do in Canada. Yet, Australia is much like Canada with similarities to northern Canada, a huge land mass, big spaces and remote, isolated communities.
So how does Australia do it? Well, they have developed a system which uses innovation and technology to reach more residents and spend less money doing it. Let me quote Dr. Snowdon from the radio interview. “One of the interesting innovations Australia has developed is something called general practice networks. So 90 percent of their primary care physicians are organized in networks and they’re all focused on particular geographic parts of the country. So that any time 24 hours a day, seven days a week, someone needs a health care support or service from a primary care physician, they’re available. And if they’re in a very remote and maybe difficult to access community, those physicians use telehealth. So they’ll come up on a screen and talk to and have that discussion with that consumer or that patient to figure out how they can help and how they can get the services they need to that person in their own home or in their own community.”
That is eerily similar to a system I’ve heard proposed by the Department of Health and Social Services over the last few years, and the Australian system is well suited to our northern situation. We here want to establish a medical command centre. We have telehealth in almost every community. But are we taking advantage of the experiences of other countries and adapting them to our own? Can we learn from Australia, copy what they’re doing and improve our own NWT situation? Sure we can, Mr. Speaker, but are we?
In the past years Ministers have made references to the reform of our health system, to a health strategic plan called the Foundation for Change. It is touted as our health reform guide. To implement the plan is a big job, a long-term job and a difficult job. I accept that. But it has been several years now and I have to ask: Are we really accomplishing anything? Are we really effecting change? It doesn’t seem like it.
We’re still badly in need of doctors in Inuvik and Hay River.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
We still badly need doctors in Inuvik and Hay River; there is still no permanent nurse in Tsiigehtchic; and each year we continue to spend millions of dollars moving people from their home community to a regional centre so they can get the medical services they need. We can provide medical services in our communities. We have the innovation referenced by Dr. Snowdon, we just need to get on with it.
The Health and Social Services budgets in the last two years have earmarked literally millions for the Foundation for Change to reform our health care system. What do we have to show for that money, Mr. Speaker?
I’ll have questions for the Minister of Health at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
