Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate it very much. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I talked about the transparency, or I should say lack thereof, of the waiting lists for people trying to get a doctor, and it's from the department's information they provided that there's close to 2,000 people on that list. So my question specifically to the Minister of Health and Social Services is so she's aware of the number, what is she doing about the number to make it transparent for the public? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the idea of a family doctor is something that happens in the territory only in Yellowknife. And of my 47 years living in the Northwest Territories, I've never had a family doctor. I've had a chart, and I've gone to a hospital where my medical records are, you know, and right now the way that the landscape is in health care is, you know, the idea of seeing the right person for the what the patient or the person needs is not necessarily always a doctor. And right now we are working on primary health care reform within the health and social services so that patients, anybody that can see a you know, if it's a nurse practitioner or a doctor or a wellness person, you know, that they're seeing the right person for their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you I was offended and anybody else probably reading who reads transcripts, the tone of the Minister saying it's only a problem in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, maybe we should just double check before I proceed on questions to the next set of questions, is the Minister also a Minister for health in Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am the Minister for all of the Northwest Territories. That is why, Mr. Speaker, you know, when we have people bringing up the issues that, you know, that that's what I'm speaking to. People in the communities don't have a doctor. People in the regional centres don't have a family doctor. We have doctors that travel into the communities. They're not their family doctor. The care that they're getting, you know, everybody what we're doing is we're trying to ensure that the Northwest Territories has access to the right service that they need, whether they're in Yellowknife, whether they're in a regional centre, and whether they're in the small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I'll first agree that it shouldn't be I wish it wasn't a problem in the communities as well. But is it is the fact that this is a major issue in Yellowknife, it's not a problem for the Minister? That's the question.
Mr. Speaker, there is a health care crisis throughout the territory, throughout Canada. You know, I think the what I'm trying to say here is every community in this territory, we are struggling with shortages. Whether it's Yellowknife, the regional centres, and it's not just doctors, it's nurses, it's you know, it's all of our specialists. This is across Canada. So I don't have the answer that the Member is looking for at this time, and what I'm just saying is that there is an issue and, you know, the department is working hard to recruit doctors, nurses, specialists. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it sort of sounded like she was a territorial Minister on the last piece, which I'll accept. That said, I was worried where she was going with that.
Mr. Speaker, to my original question, what is the Minister doing to bring transparency to the waiting list to get a doctor? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to get back to the Member on that.
Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
