Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a question with regards to the numbers on this page. When I looked at them and considered the results of year over year for the last number of years and the fact that our authorities tend to be in deficit, I wondered how close these numbers are to actuals. I know the Minister mentioned the other day that we do have authorities that are still operating under deficits. I don’t necessarily need to hear the numbers right now, but if the Minister would commit to providing us with a list of these same authorities and some actuals so we can see how much authorities are in deficit. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We will provide some of that deficit information. Also, recognize that these dollars that you see here are not necessarily the only dollars that the authorities are getting. They’re also getting additional revenue from other sources. We can provide some additional clarity around that as well.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Committee, 8-35, information item, details of funding allocated to health and social service authorities. Any questions?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Page 8-36, information item, lease commitments – infrastructure. Any questions?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Page 8-37, information item, work performed on behalf of others. Actually, committee, we’re going to 8-37, 8-38 and 8-39 collectively. Actually, 8-40, 8-41, so 8-37 to 8-41. Any questions? Mr. Yakeleya.
I just wanted to ask the Minister, on page 8-40 there with the diabetes. I know we did have money in 2013-14, and working in the small communities, I know the funding ends on March 31, 2014, and that in the information health book that I’m looking at, just for the seniors information handbook there, that there is approximately 200 new cases of diabetes diagnosed each year in the Northwest Territories. About one in five people age 60 and over have diabetes. Now we don’t have any money associated. What are we doing to deal with this factual information, if it’s factual information that 200 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year? We know what it costs our health care system to treat diabetes and yet we still don’t have any money scheduled for it. Is there a plan to go to Ottawa to ask for money with Health Canada so that we can deal with these 200 cases of diabetes that are diagnosed each year?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. These are federal dollars that have clearly sunsetted, but it doesn’t mean that we’re not doing anything with respect to diabetes education, health promotion. We are working on a chronic disease management study to help us have better information on how to educate and keep people healthy in the Northwest Territories. We have diabetes educators. We have nutritionists in the Northwest Territories. We’ve got different programs that are being delivered by different staff throughout the Northwest Territories as far as healthy eating, exercise, diet. There are a significant number of things that we are doing. We’re always looking for opportunities to enhance and improve the way we’re doing business to get better results.
This is another one of those areas where if we can work together as a system rather than working in silos we can probably have better results across the Territories by providing back fill when people do leave. For instance, if we had a diabetes nurse educator or something in one authority and she happened to be sick, that service wouldn’t be delivered there. If we were in a territorial system it would be really easy to make sure that coverage could continue. A lot of work is happening on this, and I would be happy to provide the Member with a bit of a breakdown of where those services are and the types of things we are doing, and any ideas he has or his communities might have to help enhance that, we’re certainly listening.
When you see a statement like this in one of our government’s official documents, that 200 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year, I certainly look forward to the Minister’s plan of action how to deal with the diabetes that is diagnosed each year and what’s the case that we have dealt so far, because you don’t see anything in here. I have to look for it. That’s scary in our small communities. If I can get some information, documents, what it costs our system each year to treat a person with diabetes.
What are we doing in the small communities to screen for diabetes? Some people just walk in sometimes. What are we doing with the stores to help with people who have diabetes in their shopping? I know in Norman Wells they have a strong diabetes program. They used to have one. We need to look at this seriously. Seriously. I know the federal dollars have lapsed, and you are correct, Mr. Minister, we are doing things. I just need to know what the diabetic program is based on this year and how we’re doing this year. That’s all I want to know.
This process we go through with all these pages, there is certainly a lot of information but it certainly can’t break down for the specific detail for each condition in the Northwest Territories. We are, as the Member said, doing a significant amount and I’ve committed to doing a bit of a walk-through of this to try to highlight the different areas, so I can provide the Member and committee with a bit of a highlight on some of the things we are doing overall. The Member is right; this is certainly an area that’s affecting us adversely across the territory.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Committee, we have been dealing with 8-37 to 8-41 inclusively. Information item, work performed on behalf of others.
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. I am going to ask you to return to page 8-7, operations expenditure summary for Department of Health. Department summary, operations expenditure summary, $391.929 million. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Does committee agree that we’ve considered and concluded the Department of Health and Social Services as a whole?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. I’d like to thank our guests, Ms. DeLancey and Ms. Mathison, for joining us today. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort our witnesses out of the Chamber. Thanks to the Minister.
I will ask Ms. Bisaro, what is the wish of committee?
I move that we report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
---Carried
