Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services, and I’m really just seeking an update on where we’re at with the implementation of midwifery. Perhaps I could get where we’re at with Fort Smith and Hay River to start with.
Are those positions filled and are those programs fully up and running? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s one midwifery position vacant in Fort Smith that they’re currently actively recruiting for. The two positions in Hay River have been filled and we’re looking at going live early 2015. We have already begun some preliminary discussions with the Beaufort-Delta, but those positions and that program will not be moving forward until 2015-2016 as per our plan, but we are in early negotiations with those. Just recently we had the Deh Cho approach us, indicating that they’d be interested. So we’re in conversation with them as well.
One of the challenges we have right now is our coordinator position within the department has left the department. So we’re actively out recruiting for that position. We anticipate that that position will be filled in short order, which will allow us to continue to make the progress that we’re making today. Thank you.
Thank you. If memory serves – and I can always look this up – the schedule after Beau-Del, I believe, was to return to Yellowknife and the Tlicho, so ’15-16.
Can I assume that ’16-17 will be Yellowknife? Mahsi.
Thank you. We continue to move forward as the plan outlines, which is Fort Smith done, Hay River, Beaufort-Delta, Yellowknife, but we will look at other communities and regions as well. Thank you.
Just to return to the Beaufort-Delta, I believe the last we spoke there was something that was going to happen in December or January of 2015, December this year, January, in terms of negotiations were supposed to be starting.
Perhaps I could just get some more specifics from the Minister on exactly where we’re at with the Beau-Del, given that Hay River is fully up and running and, I guess, this year it should be the Beau-Del. Mahsi.
Thank you. Just for clarity, the Hay River program is not up and running to full capacity. We are actually working on the development of some evaluation parameters with the staff and making sure that everything is going to be appropriate for rollout and we’re looking to roll out in early 2015. We have already begun some early and initial consultations for the expansions of the services to the Beaufort-Delta, and we’re looking forward to having some public consultations up there in 2015-2016 as we move forward with rollout. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I guess I would seek more clarity. There was a lot of fluff in that response. Some early consultation and then moving into consultations in 2015 and 2016 and rollout in 2015-2016. I’m not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling here. We’re looking for some steady progress here and I think the Minister knows that.
Can we expect April 1st of 2015 there will be some implementation happening on the ground in the Beau-Del? Mahsi.
Thank you. There have been some consultations with physicians and other professionals in the Beaufort-Delta. The result of those consultations, a number of challenges and concerns were raised around things like deliverables, potential complications and individuals’ responsibilities. We’re working through those right now with the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority. Once we’re a little bit closer and we have that information worked out with the physicians, we intend to do some public engagements as well.
We will not be moving forward with staffing until such time as a budget is actually approved for the 2015-2016 calendar or fiscal year, which means we will not be moving forward with staffing until at least April 1st, and it will take a number of months to fill those positions. But I’m prepared to move forward without a confirmed or approved budget. Thank you.
