Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In today’s Hub, my local newspaper, I was quoted on a discussion that I had to have with the press about our new health care facility in Hay River. This should be an exciting time for our new facility; however, there are many people in the community that are concerned that this new health care facility will be downgraded from the current hospital that we have today. The residents of Hay River are concerned that they will have to travel to Yellowknife and southern areas to have blood work, patient care and medical services done, because the facility is being downgraded. I know this is not the fact; however, the Department of Health has not been doing anything in this public relations mess.
In response to all the negative press, the two MLAs – myself and Mrs. Groenewegen – have had a meeting with the department to clear up this mess, to hopefully bury this issue. The department indicated that there was no plan to downgrade the service but that the facility would be the future of Hay River and would also be a benefit for 50 years. If it was going to be a benefit for 50 years, the difficulty that I have is the 10 long-term care beds that we have there now are not in the existing design for the new building. How can it be the future for 50 years if it doesn’t meet today’s needs?
This is a large problem in Hay River. Our population is not getting any younger. Like the rest of Canada, we are getting older. I will have questions for the Minister of Health later today.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
