Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I wanted to highlight in some manner about how important midwifery services are here in the Northwest Territories. I also wanted to give credit to Leslie Paulette for making it the success it is. It comes with quite a national reputation of being a brilliant success all started by a small program in Fort Smith.
Mr. Speaker, the program in Yellowknife has been cut and it was a very important program to many families. My first question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is: when will the midwifery services be offered again in Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve committed to a process that is now underway. An RFP has been put out for a review of midwifery services. I indicated this in this House previously. That report should be done and ready by January 2012, at which time the Department of Health and Social Services will be able to look at the recommendations, share them with the Members and committee members, and look at what’s being recommended. Most importantly, as I’ve indicated time after time as Finance Minister in this House, what resources may or may not be available to try to hit the priorities of the 17th Assembly. Thank you.
It’s my understanding that the midwife in Fort Smith has been able to deliver at least half of the babies each and every year. It’s turned into quite a heralded success and, as we all know, I’m certainly glad I’m bending the ear of the Finance Minister at the same time. It’s a better choice on financial resources to use a midwife than it is to use a typical doctor. Perhaps, maybe the Minister can outline the objectives of how we are trying to translate the success in Fort Smith into Yellowknife and the territory as a whole. Thank you.
Let me first point out, of all the communities in the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife is the best served when it comes to birthing services with Stanton and all the specialists and obstetricians and doctors that are here available to provide those services. Granted, they don’t have the choice of midwifery services in many communities. There is no choice of any kind other than you have to come to Yellowknife and wait to have your baby. So the value is there. I think we’ve got some of the best legislation in the country. We’ve got a program in Fort Smith that demonstrates that it works. Now it comes down to the resources that are available to do the very many things we would like to do as a Legislative Assembly, recognizing the very tight fiscal conditions we are going to be working under and that governments across the land are working under. Thank you.
Perhaps, maybe if the Minister of Health could paint the pictures of the focus of the future of midwifery here in the Northwest Territories. Is it the goal of the Department of Health to help facilitate the growth? Is it just to place it in a few...provide this opportunity in a few communities here and there? What is the mandate and focus of this RFP and, certainly, will the general public be able to participate in the development of this so they can hear true testimony about how important this is as a service here in the North? Thank you.
The intent is to take a careful measured look at this service and where it makes the most sense to be applied, where is there critical mass, where is there any service at all, transportation issues, the population issues, and if there was a need to put birthing services in a community, some of the questions, for example, would you want to put it into a community that already has some of the best birthing services in the Northwest Territories or would you look at a region where it possibly has a greater chance to provide some service where none exists currently. Those are the kind of questions we have to look at and then we have to look at the hard facts of will there be money. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister talked about the money, you know, and I hate to think that the Health Minister, although oddly enough it’s the same as the Finance Minister, but are they going to invest some financial analysis into this study, report, and into the planning? In most cases it’s more affordable for the Government of the Northwest Territories to have a midwife providing the services than either flying the mother in from a community or flying a doctor into a community. Even in Yellowknife it’s more affordable having a midwife providing these services than an average doctor.
Just to be clear, Mr. Speaker, we are talking about non-complicated pregnancies, certain non-high-risk pregnancies. We are not talking about the ones that are challenging because we do need those specialists to manage those cases. Will the Finance Minister be ensuring that there is a complete financial analysis done on this issue, because it’s important and cherished here in the North? Thank you.
I was the Minister of the day when the midwifery legislation was brought forward and passed. I come from a community where it’s been a huge issue for decades and I am very familiar with the value of midwifery. We knew very clearly when we came forward with the bill and made it an insured service that it was the type of service we would like to provide. We made the steps to do that.
The issue now comes back to have there been any demographic changes and is it affordable. If we do have resources, where are the best places to put those resources to work when it comes to midwifery services? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
