Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Thursday, March 3, 2011, the Regular Members of this House unanimously passed a motion requesting that the Minister of Health and Social Services immediately order an independent external investigation covering all aspects of the Leishman incident with recommendations as necessary to improve the safety and security for all patients and staff, and improve the overall quality of care for all patients receiving care with the Stanton Territorial Hospital.
Recently, I was pleased to receive correspondence from the Minister of Health and Social Services indicating that he has directed Stanton Territorial Health Authority to establish an external review committee to conduct this independent review that Ms. Leishman and the Regular Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly have asked for. I applaud the Minister for that decision.
Mr. Speaker, given that this review will be subject to the Evidence Act, I understand that it will not be made public. However, I also understand that any recommendations coming from this external review will be shared with Ms. Leishman and this government. Ultimately, the intent of the motion was to ensure that we and the health care system learn something from this horrible incident so that a similar incident is never repeated. I am hopeful that the findings of the external review will provide some closure for Ms. Leishman and allow her to focus her attention to what needs to be done now as opposed to what has happened in the past, to focus in on her son’s ongoing treatment and care.
Mr. Speaker, I do have some questions regarding this external investigation. I will be seeking some clarity and answers from the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services later today. Specifically, I will be looking for some details on the nature of the external review committee; specifically who is on it and what are their qualifications to conduct an investigation of this nature. In addition, I would like some clarity on what will be shared with Ms. Leishman and the Regular Members of this Assembly.
I do understand the importance of the protection offered to health care professionals under the Evidence Act; however, as indicated in my comments to the motion, I don’t believe that human or professional errors occurred in the Leishman incident. Rather, I feel the authority’s policies and procedures may not have been comprehensive enough to deal with the situation that occurred. The report may demonstrate this. If the concerns raised are based on the policies and procedures, I don’t believe that the protection of the professionals offered by the Evidence Act will apply, as their conduct and actions would not be in question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
