Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have some e-mails here based on the dental services that we have in the Sahtu, and usually when these issues come to us as MLAs, it comes to us in the form of emergency services either by the dentists’ service there in Inuvik or in Yellowknife and that we ask our Health department to either reimburse for hotels or travel. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, I know this is a federal non-insured health benefit and for First Nations people. We also have residents who are not First Nations. Our dental services in the Sahtu are not very good. Over the weekend in Tulita and Norman Wells, the first thing I got was: What’s happening with our dental services? We don’t have dental services. People are travelling out of Norman Wells to get dental services in Inuvik or in Yellowknife. I want to ask the Minister what’s the situation with our dental services in the Sahtu. Are we going to have a permanent dentist there?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Beaulieu.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Currently we’re having difficulties filling dental therapist positions right across the territory where they’re needed. In the Sahtu there are two dental therapist positions, both of which are vacant. It’s causing some problems, and also the fact that dental services are a federal responsibility for First Nations people. So, again, we recognize the issues, and what I’ve asked the department to do now is to work with the federal government to develop an oral health strategy, and we’re going to look at that to see if there are areas that we can work together with the government and with the regional health authorities to develop something that will work. It’s a very difficult area. Thank you.
The Minister has sort of outlined a strategy for the Sahtu in terms of dental services. I want to ask the Minister what, between now and that strategy being implemented, is his department doing to look at the emergency services that people are seeing in Good Hope, Norman Wells, Deline, Tulita and Colville Lake. People are flying out of the communities using their own money and then coming to the department and coming to me and saying can we get this reimbursed, because they need to get the services done right away. What is the Minister doing in this time frame so that people then could not be so concerned when all the services are deemed emergency? This is ridiculous in this day and age. What can the Minister do to help the people in the Sahtu get away from this situation?
We have encountered that situation numerous times. We have recently received some situations such as that from the Sahtu with the requests for reimbursement. At this time I don’t know what the response is on that specific item. I don’t have the information with me, but I had contact with the client, and had the discussion with that particular client, and sent the information to the system and have not heard back from the client whether or not there was a refusal to pay his dental bills or anything. I was assuming that it was taken care of, but I will follow up on those issues and we will handle all of the issues the same way as we’d handled that issue. Thank you.
Thank you. Is it possible that this Minister and this Cabinet could look at some situations in the Sahtu where he could get a dentist, Adam Dental or out of Inuvik, they could go into the Sahtu, spend a good quality three months, four months in there to look after the people’s teeth? Because right now it’s on an emergency basis. Right now there are no dentists in the Sahtu, not even in Norman Wells. There are people who are not First Nations who are buying airline tickets to go to Inuvik or to Yellowknife to get their teeth looked at. The nurses are handing out antibiotics. People are going into the hospital with a sore tooth. They’re not able to see a dentist until the antibiotic kicks in and starts working. So what can this government do? What can we do to help the people in the Sahtu? Can we do something to get a dentist in there right away to start looking after the teeth of the people in the Sahtu?
I’m not familiar with the specific contract with the dentists in the Sahtu. I don’t have that information. What I am familiar with, or what the department is trying to do over a longer term to address this issue, we clearly recognize that good oral health leads to good health, period, and we see this as a preventive item. The department contracts an actual dentist to work with a dental therapist. Unfortunately, those two positions in the Sahtu are vacant at this time. Under normal circumstances where the therapists are filled, then that dentist works with the therapist to promote oral health with the Well Baby Program, in the Healthy Family Program and also in the schools in order to promote good oral health. That’s what we’re doing.
For emergency services right now, I could have the department check on who the dentist is that we have contracted in the Sahtu, from which organization, and get back to the Member to determine what our next course of action should be.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I look forward to the Minister’s discussion to see how we can work out this situation. The fact of the matter is our contract is not working with this government. Something is wrong. The contract isn’t working. Either the dentist or ourselves or the federal government, something is not working. That should tell you enough that we do not have a dentist in the Sahtu.
We have some oil companies in there. Surely this government can talk to the oil company, can talk to the town, can talk to the native organizations, talk to somebody and say let’s get a dentist in here. Let’s clear the barriers and get a dentist in here.
Right now people are having toothaches. Kids have toothaches and are going to the health centre where the nurse is giving them antibiotics and telling them to stay home unless their parents really can gather the money to fly them. It costs about $1,100 just to fly a person out to get their teeth checked. It’s a health concern. This can kill a lot of people.
I want to ask this government, are you willing to save some people’s lives? Get a dentist in the Sahtu. What can the Minister do to help us get a dentist here? Can he open some of the creativity in this government to get a dentist in the Sahtu? Can he do that for us?
Dental services are not an insured service by the Government of the Northwest Territories. Along with our government, Nunavut and Yukon, we have engaged in discussions with Health Canada. It’s not a simple process where I can make a commitment to send a dentist in. It’s not an insured service. This takes time for us to develop something. We need to work with Health Canada. They’re the ones that are responsible for the dental services in these communities. It’s something that I could continue to work on. I could maybe keep the Member informed as to how our discussions are going. I recognize that it’s a big issue in the Sahtu and I will keep him informed as we continue our discussions with Health Canada.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
