Debates of August 23, 2011 (day 16)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the quality of health services delivered in my riding of Nahendeh. Specifically I want to speak about how these services are provided to our elders.

I share my colleagues Mr. Yakeleya and Mr. Jacobson’s concerns that people are not being examined properly and are being misdiagnosed. We know that as we age, our bodies require more care, we need to see the doctor more often, and we need health professionals to take us seriously when we say that something is wrong. We may not be able to diagnose ourselves, but we know our bodies. If something is wrong, we need to be taken seriously.

Our elders are not receiving the quality of care they require. Many elders in the Nahendeh riding don’t understand the medical system. They don’t speak English well enough to communicate what is happening with their body. They also don’t understand what health professionals say to them about their health. As a result, I believe a late constituent passed away as a result of late diagnosis of cancer. He said people are dying before their time because they cannot convey their ailments properly and are being misdiagnosed.

Also people are being turned away at our health centres not once or twice but three times in a row. There is no one advocating for them to tell them that their ailments are real and they must be treated properly.

Adding to this situation is the inability to develop a relationship with doctors in the region because doctors change every six months or so and elders do not have the opportunity to build trust with the doctor before they have to explain their health situation all over again.

We require trained translators to accompany our elders to their doctor appointments; trained translators whose role is to ensure that the elders are receiving what they require. This means that they need to be fluent in the Slavey language and have some health training as well. They need to understand medical terms, be able to aid an elder in understanding what the diagnosis is and what they have to do to stay healthy.

We also need doctors that come to our regions for longer periods of time and ideally be permanent residents of our communities.

During question period I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services questions that pertain to this statement.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.