I'd like to speak today about Stanton Territorial Hospital. There continue to be many issues at play at Stanton that throughout this session I will be addressing in an attempt to get some answers from the Minister as to what exactly is happening at that hospital.
In speaking to health care professionals on the front line, I find there seems to be a constant disconnect between the positions that are available at the hospital and the continued reliance on agency nurses. Are we not interested in hiring more nurses who live here? Why wouldn't we look at increasing the float pool at Stanton? And, Mr. Speaker, why is there so much money being spent on overtime?
Let's talk about money, Mr. Speaker. Let's talk about how it is that Stanton has been allowed to approve an $11.5 million deficit. It was only two years ago that Members of the 15th Legislative Assembly approved, through supplementary appropriation, close to $4 million to address the deficit that was building at Stanton Territorial Hospital.
What are the Minister's plans to deal with the $11.5 million and the other millions of dollars of deficit that our other health authorities find themselves in?
There continues to be little in the way of accountability, whether it's from the hospital, the department, or the Minister.
We are talking about a substantial amount of money. We need to address whether Stanton is chronically underfunded or completely and utterly mismanaged. And where in the world is the Stanton master plan after years and years of planning? We are set to spend millions of dollars at Stanton in upgrades and renovations, and yet there is no master plan.
Again, Mr. Speaker, where is the accountability, and where does the responsibility lie? For me, it rests squarely on the Minister's shoulders, and I believe she has some explaining to do to the public and to the Members of this House. She has been the Minister now for several months, and she should have a very good understanding of what is happening at Stanton Territorial Hospital.
There are many, many outstanding health care professionals and employees at that hospital, and I really am getting tired of hearing from people who have just had enough of working at Stanton. They're throwing their arms up in the air, and they're saying, “I've had enough. I need out of Stanton,” and they're leaving the North.
We need to address this. We need to address it head on and come up with some solutions. Mahsi.
