Mr. Chair, I have no further questions. I just want to commend the work and the initiative on this particular program in Inuvik and throughout the Northwest Territories, especially the larger regional centres. I just want to commend the department for that work. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We are moving to further questions. We have the honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions here. I wanted to follow up on some of the questions that were asked previously. First of all, with regard to the questions asked by Mr. Dolynny, by yourself, Mr. Chair, with regard to the electronic medical records, I appreciate the host of numbers that we got from the Minister. It was a little hard to follow. I wouldn’t mind asking the Minister to provide us with that on paper at a later time so it would be a little easier to follow. I wasn’t totally clear, when I was listening to the answer, how long this project is. I gather it is a multi-year project. When is it scheduled to be completed? I kind of got lost with the last expenditure. What fiscal year will we be done? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Beaulieu.
Mr. Chair, the last cost that we have scheduled in and at which point we expect completion is 2014-15.
Thanks to the Minister for that clarification. I wanted to also follow up on Mr. Hawkins’ question about the flexibility of funding for doctors to our various health authorities. I understand that the Minister needs to make a business case, but I thought I heard him say that this business case is only going to be made for three of our health authorities. I wondered why this would not be applied to all authorities. I would think at one point in time or another every authority would need the opportunity to be flexible with their funding and hiring of doctors and nurse practitioners. So I’d like to know from the Minister why we’re only doing it for three authorities. Thank you.
We’re coming forward with the business case for the three authorities that have requested – the two authorities and the agency, Tlicho Community Services Agency – to provide flexibility in their funding.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. I do remind the Members that we are in capital estimates. Some of the questions we’re entertaining here have more operational overtone. So I’ll go back to Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have no further questions about an operations issue.
I would like to ask the question, though, with regard to the item in the budget for the Stanton Territorial Hospital. I noticed with the Minister of Finance’s opening remarks yesterday, he stated $29.6 million for health facility replacements, including funding for the upfront planning for the upgrades that will be required at Stanton Territorial Hospital. In the budget itself it says Stanton Territorial Hospital and planning study only. So I’m a little confused as to whether or not the money for Stanton is going to be used, well, I guess it’s planning, but is the money a planning study for a new hospital, or is it a planning study to do upgrades on the current old hospital?
We’ve been doing upgrades for quite a few years. It’s an aging building and in order to keep it in service, we’ve been doing upgrades for a number of years, but are we now doing further upgrades or are we planning for a new building? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The plan for the Stanton Hospital is upgrades and renovations.
Thanks, Minister, I think. So, I guess, what portion of this planning study is for upgrades? What upgrades are required and when are the renovations going to start? It’s a tough question. I know it’s a major reno and we don’t really have the money at this point, but if I could get a little bit more of an explanation on just what the planning study is being done for, what are the upgrades that are required, and when you say renovations, are you talking about the major renovations of the facility of $200-plus million or what? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The plan is for a major upgrade, a major renovation at Stanton. The hospital would almost be completely renovated right from one end of the hospital to the other end of the hospital. There could even be additions. So it would depend on how the planning studies come out.
We’re at the stage of the planning studies… When you’re doing renovations to the hospital you can realize that you can’t shut the hospital down, right? I think everybody knows that. So what would happen would be that if we were planning on doing a renovation, or as we plan to do a renovation, the renovations would happen over a considerable time period so that if, hypothetically, we were to spend $200 million on the hospital at Stanton, it could end up being $25 million a year for eight years, as an example, so that the hospital continues to operate as we upgrade.
Major portions of the hospital will be going through upgrades and as we’re finished the upgrades, we would be moving staff and patients around in the hospital in order to complete the upgrades fully over an extended period of time.
I guess to the Minister just to confirm so that I understand, would it be accurate to refer to this planning study as planning and studying for a major retrofit and renovations of the hospital? Thank you.
Probably the best term that we could use is a redevelopment of the Stanton Hospital.
That’s all I have. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Last on my list I have the Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to keep it brief here. I’d like to just ask a question or two on emergency medical records, follow-up. I know that estimates of the costs have doubled over the past year for a number of reasons and we’ve been given some information on that. I’m wondering to what degree will the current proposal complete the implementation of emergency medical records, given it will take until ‘14 or ’15, and what is the likelihood of a change in project scope and schedule and costs. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This money, we’ll roll it out and will get us to a stage where it’s functional, but there will always be ongoing costs. So electronic medical records are up to date and maintained and useable at all times across the board. Although this would get it going, there will be ongoing costs.
I guess I might be interested in exploring that with a little more time, but maybe I’ll just ask, is it anticipated that it will be rolled out across the territory comprehensively all at once, sort of thing, if digitally we have that capacity and so on? Thank you.
Two things. First, I would offer committee an opportunity for us to do a presentation on the electronic medical records and, yes, they would be rolled out across the territory. That’s the intent of the medical records.
Maybe the last one for now, Mr. Chair. I’m just wondering, when I go to see the doctor, he seems able to pull up my records pretty easily and access some pretty good history there. What’s the difference that we’re talking about here between the current system, I suppose, whatever it might be called, and the EMR being proposed here? Thank you.
What Mr. Bromley is referring to is health records, electronic health records. So if the Chair has no objection, I would like to have the deputy minister explain the difference between electronic health records and electronic medical records.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Ms. DeLancey.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Very briefly, we do have the electronic health records available throughout the system now and all your medical information as a patient is available there. The electronic medical record is now being used in Yellowknife and Hay River and it has a lot of features that the health records don’t have. So the doctor can actually chart in there while he or she is using it; they can actually look up standards or clinical practice guidelines in the record. They can send questions to experts for referrals and get an almost immediate answer, and in the case of chronic disease, the medical record can actually give the doctor prompts, so remember to see if this person has renewed their medication. So it’s a much more interactive tool, whereas what you’re seeing today is more likely just looking at what’s happened in the past. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. DeLancey. Mr. Bromley.
Yes, I’ll leave it at that, Mr. Chair, and I look forward to the briefing that the Minister has proposed, should committee take him up on that offer. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Committee, we’re on page 6-4, Health and Social Services, activity summary, health services programs, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $31.181 million. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.
---Carried
I will now rise and report progress. I’d like to thank our witnesses today, if I can get the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 64-17(3), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2013-2014, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Do we have a seconder to the motion? Mr. Beaulieu.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, there will be a meeting of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures at the rise of the House this afternoon.
Orders of the day for Monday, October 22, 2012, at 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Petitions
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
Motion 14-17(3), Establishment of Electoral Boundaries Commission
Motion 15-17(3), Guidelines for NWT Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2012
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Tabled Document 64-17(3), NWT Capital Estimates 2013-2014
Bill 2, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2012
Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Securities Act
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Madam Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Monday, October 22, 2012, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 2:04 p.m.
