Mahsi. [English translation not provided.]
According to the information I have obtained from the Department of Health and Social Services, as of December 2007 there are 46,000 N.W.T. health care cards in circulation. This is interesting, in that N.W.T. Bureau of Statistics estimates that we only have 42,000 residents. That means 4,000 people who do not live in the N.W.T. may carry this valid form of government ID as well as the right to access our N.W.T. medical services at our expense.
We have all heard stories of how an N.W.T. health care card is a valuable resource in securing employment with the diamond mines. However, my concern today is related to the potential impact on the financial bottom line of our health care system.
The Department of Health and Social Services, to their credit, have acknowledged that there is indeed a problem and have indicated that they will be working with the Audit Bureau in the coming months to review and improve registration procedures. That is a good start, and I look forward to this House being kept informed of the department’s progress in refining the registration process.
The department’s response also indicated it would take significant effort and resources to validate residencies on an ongoing basis. I can accept that it may not be the best use of our resources to establish a dedicated unit to determine whether 4,000-or-so phantom residents are impacting our N.W.T. health care costs. However, there are steps the department can take to ensure our system is not being taken advantage of by non-residents. For example, persons accessing our generous supplementary health benefits and having the costs of prescriptions and chronic conditions covered should be required to provide proof of residency.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
A person being referred south for non–life-threatening treatment could also be required to prove residency before being sent. These are just a couple of examples of small measures that could be taken to ensure our health care system is not being taken advantage of. We should not be carrying more patients than necessary.
Finally, I would hope the majority of the 4,000 extra health care cards we have belong to persons who have transferred to other jurisdictions, and there is nothing more sinister going on than poor paperwork. With that being said, I strongly believe we need to take steps to ensure costs are contained and non-resident abusers of our health care systems are identified and prosecuted.
