Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to use my Member’s statement just to talk a little bit about the issue of health services and activities falling under the purview of the health authority in Hay River, that wonderful community of Hay River.
Mr. Speaker, our clinic…. Let’s start there and in no particular order. The renovations for barrier free access have been underway over the summer and are almost completed; something we have wanted for a long time is now being completed. So for people who were unable to access our clinic because previously there were stairs to go up, now that is going to be resolved.
This summer at the clinic we saw one of our nurse practitioners, our only nurse practitioner, running the walk in clinic because it was difficult during the summer holidays to get locums all the time. I want to thank Karen Benwall very much for the excellent job she did this summer. It is a lot of responsibility to be the only one on duty in a community the size of Hay River, but she did that and ran that clinic herself many weeks, and she did an excellent job of doing that. I want to thank her for that. I believe that the locum schedule has been addressed, and there are locums coming in now.
We still have not recruited any permanent doctors. Later today in question period I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what the status is of a current contract with which we can recruit physicians to the North. How are we going to address the fact that it is a little bit more difficult to get physicians to go into smaller communities, more remote communities and certainly ones where there are no permanent physicians at this time?
The issue of dental surgery. I am pleased to report that dental surgery is back up and running in Hay River. We had raised this in the June session quite extensively, and I want to thank the Minister for responding to this in a positive way. I am sure, on behalf of those people who are on the extensive waiting list, that dental surgery is back on.
Our CEO at the Hay River Hospital has unfortunately resigned, and I will be asking the Minister today about what the game plan is to deal with that. That always causes quite a ruckus in an organization. Paul Rosebush, again, thanks to him for doing a good job while he was in Hay River.
I have other issues to do with the capital budget, the assisted living facility, many other issues related to health care, but I cannot fit them all into two and a half minutes here. I will have questions for the Minister of Health later in question period. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
