Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the health Minister regarding concerns raised by local residents of the health centre. Mr. Speaker, I've raised this issue with the Minister on February 27, 2020, on the same issue: the issues that residents are having with nurse practitioners at the local health centre. This continues to be a serious issue. Residents want action, and they want action now. Can the Minister provide assurances to the residents of Fort Providence that this issue can be looked to as soon as possible? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member and I are having discussions right now with some of his concerns. He's raised concerns, and I'm working with my department and the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority to have a discussion on the Member's concern.
Nurse practitioners are left to their own devices, so to speak. Can the Minister provide assurances and action to develop an evaluation program for health centre nurse practitioners for the small communities?
I am not sure what that means, but I will look into what the Member is referring to. I do want to talk a little bit about the primary healthcare reform. This is something that the department is working on. It's a long-term commitment, and it will take time to achieve system-wide cultural change. The primary healthcare reform is an initiative that we are advancing, with cultural safety and relationship care as key priorities for Health and Social Services.
I think the evaluation program that I am referencing is in relation to evaluations of nurse practitioners and how they conduct their work within the communities. That's what I was referring to. I understand that complaints are filed with the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. I, myself, have filed a complaint on behalf of several residents back in November 2019. There has been no action on this file, no notices or acknowledgments that they were received from that association. The Minister stated on February 27, 2020, that the department does conduct internal investigations made against health centre staff. Will the Minister conduct an immediate investigation into the allegations against the health centre nurse practitioners?
The Member is talking about an HR issue, and it is something that our department is looking into. We'll respond back to the Member; however, I'm not prepared to discuss any human resource issues on the floor today.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
