Debates of November 28, 2007 (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health, Ms. Lee, and it’s in regards to the community I represent and regards to Tsiigehtchic. Right now there’s no permanent nurse in the community and yet, Mr. Speaker, they have had situations where they had emergency responses by way of trying to deal with incidents in the community, but yet there’s very poor dialogue or basically who do you call or where do you go and what to do in emergency situations. I’d like to ask the Minister of Health exactly what is she doing in response to the concerns from the community of Tsiigehtchic in regards to emergency services being provided to that community when emergencies occur?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Return To Question 40-16(1): Emergency Health Services Response For Rural Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is well known that we continue to experience pressures in all of our communities, especially in small communities, in terms of being able to recruit and retain our nursing staff and other health care professionals. I do remember most recently that there were even more pressures in the community of Tsiigehtchic. The Beaufort-Delta Health Authority has, they try to do their best to respond to coverage necessary and the communication plan and I think until we can staff that community with nurses, that’s what we have to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Supplementary To Question 40-16(1): Emergency Health Services Response For Rural Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the perfect solution will be to have a permanent nurse in the community, but right now that’s just a dream. So I’d like to ask the Minister exactly what are we doing as the Department of Health and Social Services to ensure that communities that don’t have nursing in place do have a response system to deal with emergencies in their community?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Ms. Lee.

Further Return To Question 40-16(1): Emergency Health Services Response For Rural Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to have to work hard to recruit and retain nurses in our facilities. In Tsiigehtchic right now, I understand as of November 13th we have an agency nurse providing service there. If that is not available and they can’t do the full coverage, the responsibility is with the Beaufort-Delta Health Authority to make sure that people are aware of the communication plan. I understand there was some gaps in that about two weeks ago and the response letter went to the community from the authority to explain what was expected there. I don’t have the details with me in my folder, but I remember that the response went to the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll provide the Member with that.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Supplementary To Question 40-16(1): Emergency Health Services Response For Rural Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have a crisis in the Northwest Territories when we have communities that don’t have policing, don’t have nursing, don’t have mental health positions, don’t have social workers, don’t have anything, yet we can talk about million dollar health care facilities and clinics that people can walk into. We don’t have that. So I’d like to ask the Minister, along with her staff, along with her regional staff, if she can make an effort to establish some timeslot on your agenda to go into the community of Tsiigehtchic with myself and meet with the community to find solutions to this crisis situation that’s occurring in a lot of other communities, but this particular community is in my riding. So I’d like to ask the Minister, could she commit to that here in the House today?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Ms. Lee.

Further Return To Question 40-16(1): Emergency Health Services Response For Rural Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely. I make a commitment to be in Tsiigehtchic at my earliest possible opportunity; perhaps in January. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Supplementary To Question 40-16(1): Emergency Health Services Response For Rural Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’d like to ask the Minister if she can also ensure that the resource people who are responsible for health care delivery in the Inuvik region are present at this meeting so they can respond to the community by way of a community meeting so that the resource people are present along with the Minister. But if I can ask the Minister, could she give me a more general date and time, like the first week in January, so we can sort of nail it down so I can forward it to the community and the chief of Tsiigehtchic? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Ms. Lee.

Further Return To Question 40-16(1): Emergency Health Services Response For Rural Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, absolutely I will work with the Member to make sure that we have all the resources and staff necessary from the Beaufort-Delta authority who could be there with us. Secondly, I am looking at the first week after the holidays in January as a travel time to go to the Inuvik area and Tsiigehtchic and the surrounding communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.