Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Mackenzie River will soon be freezing and Tsiigehtchic will be cut off from Inuvik by road, and Fort McPherson too, for that matter. We love this time of year, and not just because it’s the only period that a nurse is stationed in Tsiigehtchic. I wonder how many years my predecessor and I have been asking for that nurse to stay put in Tsiigehtchic year round. It seems that our pleas and that of the local leadership are falling on deaf ears.
I’m willing to give the current Health Minister the benefit of the doubt, since he’s only been in the office for a year. He could become famous in the Mackenzie Delta if he finds a way to station a permanent nurse in Tsiigehtchic. The Minister probably remembers that the idea made its way into the Health and Social Services 2010-11 business plan, only to be forgotten ever since.
A local nurse would improve health care in Tsiigehtchic and reduce the need for so much travel to Inuvik and beyond. I think a local nurse would help people get attention to their medical needs earlier, before they become critical. This is one of our main goals for improving our health care system.
Back in May I said that housing is no longer a problem, Mr. Speaker. The community has set aside housing for a nurse.
We’re coming up to next year’s budget and I want to go on record today. I’m urging the Health Minister to please include funds for a nurse in Tsiigehtchic. The allocation would go to the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority which has been administered by his department for some years now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
