Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. It is in reference to my Member’s statement.
I would like to ask the Minister what is the policy of this government and of his department with respect to a family member accompanying a patient on a medical evacuation charter. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. The policy is essentially the safety of the individual that’s being transported as a first priority. So usually when there is room on a medevac, an individual, depending on the nature of the injury or the sickness of the patient, generally if there’s an opportunity or a vacancy within the plane, it’s usually filled by a health practitioner. That’s generally the policy, that if there’s an escort required or someone that needs to be with the patient, that person gets flown in on the next available flight. Thank you.
So am I to understand that even if there is room on the plane that is being used for the medevac for an additional passenger, it would be the policy of this government that that passenger or family member would not be allowed on that medical charter? Is that what the Minister is saying? Thank you.
Like I said, the first priority is the health and well-being of the patient. Now, it is still a medical decision. So it would be the medical practitioners that are making the decision whether or not they think it’s safe for the patient if the individual would take the escort with them, whether it be a family member or somebody’s spouse and so on. But generally, usually when we use medevac it’s because it’s urgent, and under urgent situations we generally try to use the spaces in the facility for somebody that would be able to assist the patient if they were to become distressed during the medevac flight. Thank you.
I’m not completely familiar with what type of planes are used for medical evacuations, and certainly I understand that if a person is having a medical emergency, they do need to have a trained medical professional accompany them on that medevac if required.
My question is: Does the medical practitioner at the originating end of the medevac have the discretionary ability, if there’s room over and above medical staff on that charter, to allow a family member to accompany the patient on that charter?
Decisions made by medical practitioners, I suppose they would have that discretion.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I could go to a policy of the Department of Health and Social Services somewhere and find this discretionary authority of a medical practitioner to allow a family member on a medevac? I could find that policy in writing someplace?
Likely you would find a policy that indicates the decision for who goes on the medevac is made by a medical practitioner. I’m sure that it would describe any sort of discretionary decisions inside the policy, but I’m assuming that if it says that individual will make that medical call, then it’s not a political decision or an administrative decision. It would be a medical decision.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
