Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I was speaking to the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding some services and medical travel services that we send people to Edmonton. Of course I’m going to stay away from specifics because I know there is a small group of people. That said, I don’t want to try to identify them for privacy reasons, obviously. But there seems to be a bit of a number building that people go out for the specialized medical service. I’m wondering what the process is for the Department of Health and Social Services to start saying we should be bringing these specialists up and holding clinics here in Yellowknife and start tracking that process.
The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Generally speaking, there is constant review and monitoring of services that we need in the Northwest Territories, especially in specialist services. Often they are sent out if the services are not available. If there’s a possibility that benefits could be had by having the specialists come up, then that is also done. So that’s an ongoing, day-to-day business that the Stanton Territorial Hospital and the medical professionals and the administrators engage in.
I appreciate the Minister trying to stay away from specifics as well, only to avoid identifying the individual constituents, because there are only a few. She says there’s an ongoing day-to-day process. What type of strategy does the Department of Health and Social Services have, say, for example, if we’re always sending people to Edmonton to get an ear checked, a specialized service? Or for example, if we’re always sending people to get an eye specialization. Those type of things. What type of monitoring process do we have set up and organized that someone tracks this and says, well, we’ve sent 23 people out to 23 different individual medical travel processes and all to one doctor. Does the department make recommendations up through the system and say maybe it’s time we start bringing this doctor here to the Northwest Territories and providing that service? Do they have that type of process? If they do, would she provide me with some information as to the layout of that?
I’d be happy to make that commitment to provide the Member with what process is followed in reviewing special services.
The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
