Debates of August 16, 2007 (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services and it goes back to my Member’s statement from earlier where I was making mention of the fact that the surgery ward at Stanton Territorial Hospital has been closed on and off now for the past three years. It recently closed again for the summer and, as well, recently the patient lounge in that surgery ward was turned into a four-person office room. I’d like to ask the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services if it’s the intent of the department and the hospital to turn that ward into an office wing of that hospital? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 133-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know we’ve worked with Members of this Assembly around our territorial facility here in Yellowknife at Stanton Territorial Hospital. I must say that maybe sometimes I need to get the information the Member is getting to help me do the job a little better. He seems to have a very good source.

Mr. Speaker, the area of the Stanton utilization is something we do when we work with all authorities in the area of master development plans and that is something that we will continue to do. In this situation, through the Stanton territorial facility, we’ve had an additional 11.5 physicians that will work throughout the territory in some of the rehabilitation areas. Because of our shortage of office space in a lot of our facilities, we’ve had to make some changes in there and those are just interim. We’re hoping that we can go forward and put a submission into the workplace shortfall fund and look at making the necessary changes from that point on. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 133-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Minister that my source, as he says, is my constituents and my constituents advise me of things that are going on at that hospital. They’re staff at that hospital and I take what they say quite seriously and that’s why I’m here today voicing the concerns of my constituents, Mr. Speaker. So if the Minister is looking for a source, that’s it.

I also wanted to ask the Minister if the surgery ward is shut down, when exactly will it be opening again? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 133-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the surgery ward, as the Member stated earlier, for a number of years now when they look at the utilization rates, the number of surgeries that were being done, the elective surgeries being done, there’s a number of times throughout the year when the volumes drop. So looking at how we utilize our staff best and our facility, that’s been decided quite some time ago, but we would, during a number of times throughout the year, close the surgery ward down to elective surgeries. Everybody remains on call if there is surgery required and that continues to happen. Recently, the past five weeks, the surgery ward has been consolidated with the paediatrics ward and what I’m told is the surgery ward is back to normal operation as of the 13th of this month. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 133-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the Minister’s source is better than mine if the ward was reopened on the 13th. So I commend him on that.

---Laughter

I wanted to get back to a point that I raised in my Member’s statement and that was the fact that from a staff perspective, if the department and the hospital are turning patient lounges into offices and other patient rooms into offices in that hospital, it sends up alarm bells, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister if in fact the Department of Health and Social Services has taken a serious look at building a dedicated medical administration building at or near Stanton Territorial Hospital? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 133-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we’ve already heard, the demand for more funding for a number of sources or activities in the Northwest Territories continues, whether its highways, arts funding or medical facilities or infrastructure or office space. What we’ve done is, again, looked at our utilization rate and right now at the Stanton facility there’s approximately a 60 percent occupancy for in-patient wards. We’re finding a heavy usage on the outpatient side of it and that’s why a utilization report is being done to look at how we use our facilities best and a temporary move has been to locate some of our staff into some of those empty rooms until we can sort out how we’re going to make room for the extra offices we need, whether it’s in this facility or another facility. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 133-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if you’re looking at relocating employees to a hospital, that to me is very, very expensive office space, absolutely. I think the department has to come up with a game plan to try to house their employees. That should be in a dedicated medical administration building. It shouldn’t be in patient rooms at Stanton and they should look at amalgamating or bringing under, if the utilization of that building is 60 percent, they should look at bringing in some other services that are currently provided in other locations here in Yellowknife under one roof, not making that hospital into an office building, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to, again, ask the Minister what the game plan is going forward. Are they going to take a look at building a dedicated medical administration building in Yellowknife? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 133-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the situation we find ourselves in, if we were to go after a dedicated facility as a Department of Health and Social Services, we’d have to work through our capital plan, get it established, get agreement that it was a priority that it would receive the funds. There is another route that we are working with and that is the workplace shortfall capital fund and we’re putting a plan together to try to see if we can access that to help us in our office shortfall right now. From time to time, whether it’s in this facility or other facilities throughout the territory, we’ve had people and staff in places where the space is tight, but that’s the best we can do in our existing climate and conditions. Thank you.