Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There’s more and more concern about cancer in the communities of Nahendeh. People believe that the rate of cancer is increasing. That alone should tell us that more support is needed in our small communities. More information is needed along with better support for people who do have cancer. Some sharing circles have been held and that is a good thing. More sharing circles for families should take place so that there is consistency in this form of support.
I have seen the numbers in the recent report on cancer in the Northwest Territories and it doesn’t look like they have gone up very much, and I am glad of that, but it doesn’t mean that there’s no cause for alarm.
I see, for example, that the mortality rate, people that are dying from all cancers over the latest 10-year period was one and a half times higher for Dene people than non-Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories. That’s quite a scary number and it confirms what my constituents say, that we are losing way too many people to cancer.
This shows the need for earlier screening for cancer, especially among older people. I know that generally more screening has been taking place in recent years and I do fully support that, it’s just that more needs to be done. Even for screening there are some inconsistencies. Screening for cervical cancer has shown great results, but of late, screening for it has declined somewhat in every size of community. We need to turn that around so we don’t lose ground against cervical cancer. Screening for colorectal cancer has been increasing and that’s great, but again, I see that the rate of screening is lowest among Dene, Inuit and Metis in small communities. Something has to be done about that. It’s just not right. If screening is not done, it is much harder to detect cancer early enough to cure people, plain and simple.
I am also concerned about the continuity of care. I know of patients in Nahendeh where follow-up did not take place. Somehow the tracking system is not working 100 percent of the time. There is just no excuse for that. We’re talking about treatment that is necessary to save people’s lives; there can be no more failures to follow up with these patients.
These issues alone are a good enough reason for nursing solutions in our small communities. Our people deserve the best quality health care in all the communities. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
