Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have an oral question, and it’ll be for the Minister of Health and Social Services. It will be on the topic of medical travel.
I had a constituent contact me yesterday, and interestingly enough, I had another constituent contact me again this morning regarding almost an identical medical travel problem. Mr. Speaker, that is about when you get a non-medical escort approved through the doctors’ process. Medical Travel in one of the cases has refused to allow that person, even with a doctor’s note, to bring a non-medical travel escort south. In the second case the department doesn’t seem to want to pick up the cost other than the plane ticket of the person travelling on that non-medical travel escort path.
I just want to seek some clarity from the Minister of Health and Social Services. First, if a doctor puts into writing the need to have a non-medical escort travel with someone to the South, do we pick up that cost? Furthermore, do we pick up the costs associated with their hotel room and any other reasonable and responsible costs involved in that process?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member has brought this to my attention. At about 1 o’clock today I asked my department to take a look at that and see what we can do in that situation.
Non-medical travel is not always approved, but I do appreciate the circumstances that the Member has brought forward, and I will commit to the Member that I will get back to him, hopefully by the end of the day.
I want to thank the Minister for that answer. Just further on that answer, if Medical Travel approves a non-medical escort to go south because of a specific need and a professional has requested that, would it be conceivably considered reasonable that we would pick up the associated costs? If we’re willing to pay for the plane ticket for them to travel down with somebody who requires specialized care, would it not be conceivable that we would pick up the reasonable costs of things like a hotel and meals?
The short answer to that is that if a non-medical escort is approved, then all of the incidental costs would be approved.
Generally a non-medical escort is approved where a patient needs a family member for physical support or for language support, where there might be some interpreter services. I understand that in this circumstance it doesn’t fall into either of the two, but that is a general situation where the non-medical escort would be approved.
I don’t want to give too much detail, because it is a very specific issue, so I’m trying to be as vague as possible, but the Minister is fully aware of the case. In this particular case, the constituent has to travel south for a very specialized reason. Once they’re finished what has to be done to them, in a medical sense, they’ll require specialized drugs to help them through the process. In talking to Capital Health, there’s an assumption that the GNWT won’t cover these specialized drugs, recommended by the specialists after they’ve received this very specific treatment. That concern is real for this family through this travel process. Will they be on the hook for it? So I ask the Minister: is it normal for the family to be denied this, or can I ask the Minister to have someone look into this very specific case?
As I have committed already, I am looking into this; the department is looking into it right now. I will get back to the Member by the end of the day. Given the privacy and confidentiality of the patient, I think I’ll just have to leave it at that, and I will get back to the Member.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Although the Minister has said it a couple of times and I believe her, I just have one more element to add to the scenario. In this particular case the specialist in their group will be recommending that the specific patient stays for a few extra days for follow-up, which I would like to think is normal. Because it is considered at their request, will the Minister look in to picking up those types of costs? Because it is based on specialists making a recommendation, not in the context of a perceived holiday or an unwillingness to return after everything’s done. It’s based principally and only on the fact that it’s at the request of the doctor.
There are a lot of details and facts to this; it’s a highly unusual situation. I will get back to the Member. Because this is a non-medical escort, there are some additional questions and facts that we need to look into. We’re doing that, and we’ll get back to the Member.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
