Debates of August 23, 2011 (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my colleagues Mr. Jacobson and Mr. Menicoche and myself on the issue of health care in our smaller communities. The three of us represent 15 communities in total. So that says something to the Minister when he meets with the chairs of the health boards, but also with the senior officials of the Health department. I want to ask the Minister specifically if there are any types of discussions going on for any type of early detection program on cancer in our communities.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s a constant effort to try to improve services in the community. In fact, myself and Premier Roland and Minister Michael McLeod were around in the days when the Sahtu was still part of the Inuvik region and we made the decision to move it into their own separate region. We set up the infrastructure, we had doctors come in there, we’ve added nurses, we put in all the support services that we have money to do, we’re looking at a long-term care facility, we’re looking at an improvement and replacement to the health centre. So, Mr. Speaker, there are very ambitious plans to improve health services in the Sahtu.

The Member has been very persistent in advocating for his constituency and he should be commended for his hard work and perseverance, but that is the general plan going forward. Thank you.

Thank you, and certainly we appreciate the wise decisions of the past government to move the Sahtu into its own authority, just like any other authority in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, finally the government has seen the light. Still, I hope that Colville Lake will get some improved services as it’s still back in the medieval times of health care services.

So I want to ask the Minister, given all that he’s given us in the House, will he talk to the chairs, talk to his deputy officials today and state that there is or could be an early detection cancer assessment program in our communities? People are being misdiagnosed, and people, the nurses, for whatever reason -- lack of resources, no support -- are handing Tylenol to people who should be assessed in Edmonton or Yellowknife for cancer. Can the Minister provide an answer for me?

Thank you. I will extend the commitment that I made to the Member for Nahendeh as well as the Member for Nunakput about discussing this issue with the deputy minister and the board chairs.

I’d like also to point out that we’re spending millions of dollars in electronic health records, medical records, telehealth. We have a very ambitious plan for a fibre optic line down the valley that would provide fibre optic link to all the communities and give them the best cutting-edge communication services so, in fact, their telehealth systems would work at full capacity. Children would be able to go on line and use all the resources and materials that are available on line. There would be cell phone, Internet, TV, all those systems in the community. There’s a lot of work by this government to improve services in communities.

I certainly look forward to the day that the initiatives that the Minister has indicated in the House become a reality. The fact of the matter is that I want to ask the Minister, in light of research projects that tell us there is contaminated fish in the Sahtu and other areas of the Northwest Territories, people are now starting to see new diseases coming up, can the Minister at least put a few million dollars of all the hundreds of millions of dollars that are going into fibre optics, television, TV, whatever, maybe take a little money out of the Deh Cho Bridge and put it into where they can save lives in our community?

I take this issue very personally because it happened to someone I love very much in my family. I saw the service that was being provided. It’s never been resolved. I ask the Minister if he would give a strong message to the nursing health centres to support our nurses. Can they have a program to start beginning to detect diseases like cancer? Something’s got to start now.

I indicated that I would follow up with the deputy minister and the chairs of the various boards and authorities to talk about this issue. The Member raises some issues about resources. Health will continue to be the largest department in government, with over a $300 million budget that grows on an annual rate that is higher overall than the standard and ceiling kept in place for other departments as we try to control our costs. There’s a new accord being negotiated with the federal government for health transfers and social transfers, so money will continue to be put into health and social services. Keeping in mind there will never be enough money, I appreciate the Member’s concern about timely assessments and everybody being given the proper care when they come through the door. I will follow up on that issue.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

I do believe the Minister when he said he will follow up and talk to his officials. I believe the Minister will do that. We have just about completed our Assembly here and shortly we’ll all be going up to reapply for our jobs if we want to come back to this career here.

I want to ask the Minister, in this short time frame and in discussions with the chairs and deputy minister, is there any type of campaign that will be initiated or going out to our communities to encourage and support people that when they do go to the health centres to ask, they have the right to ask for a proper assessment? If they don’t think that the nurse, for whatever reason, is giving them a proper diagnosis, that they demand that they get a better assessment, a second opinion to look at some of the issues. They know their bodies. I ask the Minister if we could start that short type of instructions to the nurses and also let our people know they have the right to a proper assessment.

I will follow up, as I’ve already committed to, and I would point out, as well, that we have very many campaigns about patients’ rights, about the right to know, to take part and know what’s happening with your own care. We’ve got initiatives on healthy living, Get Active. We’ve been pushing people on personal choices to deal with lifestyle, eating, drinking, don’t abuse alcohol, don’t smoke, get some exercise would go a long way to promoting better health in our communities. All those things are ongoing, but I will pass on the urgency of the situation that has been raised here by a number of my colleagues here today.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.