Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When you live in a small, isolated community such as Ulukhaktok, air travel is the only lifeline all year round. There is no road to the community for assistance. When constituents have to leave for medical travel conditions, they have to wait for the next flight. Most of the time they’re sold out; they get bumped. The government must act to fix this problem.
During my last visit to the community of Ulukhaktok, the community brought up a very serious concern regarding patients who have appointments with specialists in Inuvik. Most of the time the patients cannot make their appointments due to Aklak’s small aircraft and the lack of seating. They are dealing with serious medical conditions, and when they can’t make their appointments, they have to wait for the next round of visits.
Mr. Speaker, there are only two seats saved for medical travel for patients out of the community of Ulukhaktok. Recently, a constituent received open-heart surgery in Edmonton. The nurse who takes care of the travel in Edmonton said it would best for the patient to go to the hospital closest to the home town. His wife told the nurse sending him to Inuvik didn’t make any sense as it would mean longer travel time and the high possibility of getting bumped due to Aklak’s small aircraft. Had he been sent to Yellowknife, this would have saved all parties physically and financially.
They had to fly him in from Edmonton to Yellowknife and then into Inuvik, wait in a transient centre for the weekend, and then off to Ulukhaktok on Monday, when they could have just stopped off in Yellowknife and flew him out on Saturday. There’s definite seating with First Air’s planes, they’re adequate, they have washroom facilities and would have saved both parties the time, and patients who have serious surgery would not have to go through so much discomfort.
Over the years I have raised many concerns regarding the GNWT’s medical travel policies and the ways suitable for small and remote communities. All over the years the Minister has found many excuses to defend the aircraft policies. What people in the Nunakput community of Ulukhaktok are asking is for this government to be creative, not so much with the excuses, but to be creative and implement our recommendations and the concerns regarding medical travel, administration, procedures and policies.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
As our communities and population ages, all the current practices are increasingly inadequate. Our elders and patients deserve more from this government. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
