Mr. Speaker, I have a family in the constituency of Yellowknife Centre and one of them had a stroke. When they got to the hospital they did not have the clot busting drug called TPA. It’s been a little more than a year later and they’re doing much better, but the fact is my research recently has shown that there is no clot busting drug for strokes called TPA being used at present at the Stanton Hospital.
I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, will she investigate this to see if this type of drug could be used and brought into the common day-to-day use for any type of stroke victim at Stanton Hospital? As well, look at a strategy of perhaps when she could do that and return that to me as soon as possible. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for the question but my understanding, Mr. Speaker, is that this TPA treatment requires the electronic radiology system where the message and imaging has to be sent south for observation and evaluation before the medication could be given and that medication has to be given within three hours of stroke onset. Also, we have had a chronic shortage of radiologists and we only have visiting neurologists. That’s one of the reasons why Stanton cannot, at the moment, have that service available. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister’s answer but that still doesn’t mean we couldn’t have this drug sitting on the shelf so that when things do line up and we do have a visiting radiologist or we have all the staff and all the equipment working at that time, that this could not be the option that that family may be depending on. Would the Minister look at a strategy to make sure that that drug is available when we do have all our stars lined up in the context of staff there who can do the job and whatnot?. Mr. Speaker, it’s very important. Would she look at that? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I do agree with the Member that this is something that we should look to see whether we could have it available at Stanton. I could advise the Member, Mr. Speaker, that in the upcoming budget there are some investments on what’s called PACS, short for Picture Archiving and Communication System, and when they consent to investment in that, that allows transfer and exchange of picture images from different facilities. I think having that system in place will allow us to seriously look at having this type of treatment available. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, can I get some time frames on when we can get some of these dates on. I’ll tell you, the reason I keep pointing at the TPA as a solution is because it seems to be the proven solution that works well and although alternatives are being presented and that will be good news for folks, not than anyone plans a stroke, but certainly in the context of if one happens people know the tools are there. I just want to make sure that we have some sense that this stuff is available and when. Thank you.
I will undertake to get back to the Member as to what time frame we will be looking at and what resources and commitments we would need to set up that system at Stanton, as well as the time frame for the rolling out of the PACS system.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
