Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It comes as no surprise to you, and all the Members of this House, that how important it is to have a family doctor on your health care journey. So whether you live in the Mackenzie Delta or you live in the Sahtu, I can tell you it matters to them. I mean how many times have people from Aklavik driven all the way to Inuvik to find a new doctor that they have to explain their story to them over and over again? How many times does someone from Deline have to take that goat trail all the way to the Wells to explain their story why they need their prescription changed or adjusted, Mr. Speaker? Or you live in Yellowknife and you have to explain to the locum doctor that you've never met before how many times your diabetes medication has been changed and tried and yet they continue to offer the same thing?
Mr. Speaker, it's well known that family doctors are key. They know your story. They know you. Even the Canadian Medical Journal points out about the relationship is number one. That's the difference between a family doctor and a locum.
I've reached out to the department of health and I asked how many people are on the waiting list. A nontransparency list in other words, Mr. Speaker. A list that doesn't exist but apparently they're keeping numbers.
I'm sorry to report it wasn't 100 people waiting to have a doctor, Mr. Speaker. It wasn't two. It wasn't 300 people. It wasn't four. Mr. Speaker, I could auctioneer this off for another ten minutes. Why don't we jump to the conclusion?
The department said 2,000 people are sitting on the nontransparency waiting list to see if they can get a family doctor, Mr. Speaker. That's a shameful process in this first world country in a territory as rich as ours. My goodness, Mr. Speaker, a family doctor should be a right, and that should be it.
So I asked them how can doctors refuse patients? Their answer was pretty much bare. I ask them about how do they get more doctors? They send me to Practice NWT as the result. And as a matter of fact, looking at that website it looks for attractive as they spell out the benefits of being a locum doctor better than they spell out to be a regular doctor in our communities, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, having a doctor is key whether you're in the early season of your life, whether you're new, or you're renewed like some of us and certainly maybe even those who are heading into the winter of their life. That special relationship is key. And as this government unilaterally ponders their policy and how to carve out $50 million here and there, it has Northerners worried. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have questions later today.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements.
