Debates of October 18, 2006 (day 10)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is also directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services just on the issue of emergency room waiting times. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of people in the NWT that travel long distances to go to the Stanton Hospital to receive treatment at our emergency ward. Mr. Speaker, unless you are walking in there with your head cut off or wheeled in on your deathbed, you are not going to see a doctor for at least four to six hours. I know there was a national initiative a couple of years ago that our previous federal government rolled out some new health care initiatives that are aimed at reducing waiting times in our hospitals. Can the Minister inform this House, the general public and the people that are probably sitting in the waiting room right now, if there are any changes that we can foresee in the near future that is going to reduce these waiting times from four to six, eight to 10 hours, Mr. Speaker, that I have seen people in there waiting to see a doctor? Are there any measures that are going to be taking place here in the next while that are going to reduce those times? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 119-15(5): Emergency Ward Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have been working on the issue of wait times for some time now. We have added doctors. We are putting in a new OR system. We have added nurses. We are trying to get more OR nurses. We have in the plans a consolidated clinic in Yellowknife that is going to, we believe, take significant pressure off of the emergency ward in Stanton. When it is complete, it will allow access for the very many people inside and outside of Yellowknife that come to Yellowknife looking for services to be able to go into the clinic and get a lot of the basic testing and work done right in the clinic that currently now ties up time in Stanton for diagnostic imaging or X-rays or simple blood tests, that type of work. So we, on a number of fronts, are working to reduce wait times. We are putting out in the regions rehab teams that are going to have the ability to work with children in a lot of very fundamental areas which now require them for the most part to have to come to Yellowknife and get on a list. So, Mr. Speaker, we are making a number of efforts in a whole host of areas. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 119-15(5): Emergency Ward Wait Times

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is good to see that there is actually some initiative being taken to reduce all of these waiting times, especially with the X-ray stuff. Mr. Speaker, I went in there to get an X-ray which took five minutes. I waited in there for five and a half hours for that X-ray, Mr. Speaker. I kind of thought that was really…I had to have a nap and everything just to wait for my X-ray. With this consolidated clinic, what is the plan? When are the doors going to open on this consolidated clinic that is going to take over all of this diagnostic imaging, X-ray and all of these other minor fractures that people are looking for, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 119-15(5): Emergency Ward Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is currently some funds identified in the 2007-2008 budget to start that process. We have been working with the master plan development of Stanton and recognize that, before we should actually finalize the Stanton master plan, we should look at the consolidated clinic issue. So we are looking at putting resources into that for this coming business plan.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 119-15(5): Emergency Ward Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we have to wait another couple of years, I guess, for seeing any reduction in any waiting times that are pretty long today. Does the Minister have any appetite, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that maybe out-of-town patients should get a little priority when they get to the emergency room? If they have travelled for eight hours or two days to get to the emergency room, shouldn’t they be given some kind of priority over patients that are just walk-ins from Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 119-15(5): Emergency Ward Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is clearly a medical diagnosis that is made. If there is an emergency medevac that comes in from a community, clearly that person, since they required a medevac and have some significant medical condition, would be given immediate attention over and above somebody that may have walked in because they forgot to get a prescription filled or have some much more minor complaint. So there already is that type of assessment process that is done by the medical staff at Stanton. It applies to all of the people that come in through the door to make sure that everybody that comes through the door can get the best service they need as fast as they need it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 119-15(5): Emergency Ward Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister provide this House, maybe the Members or even if he knows right off the top of his head, how many doctors do we have in the emergency ward during the regular business hours? How many do we have in the evenings and weekends? Is there any plan to make more doctors available at the emergency ward in order to ensure that these waiting times are actually going to be reduced in the near future? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. There are a couple of questions there, Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 119-15(5): Emergency Ward Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will commit to providing the Member with the level of detail in regards to the staffing schedules for the emergency clinic. I would also like to point out that one of the intents of the consolidated clinic is to have a clinic that is open past five o’clock so that people that would normally have to go to emergency to get a very simple concern taken care of will now be able to go to a clinic and get that procedure done and not tie up the time in the emergency ward, which would be another way to shorten and alleviate the pressure of the emergency ward. Thank you.