Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I brought up dental care in the small communities, especially in the community of Ulukhaktok. This past week, I have been getting calls at 4:30 in the morning and text messages on Messenger. People are needing dental assistance, and there's nothing happening. They go to the health centre. They are given Tylenol and penicillin to help them with the pain, but, Mr. Speaker, we need to get this sorted out. We haven't seen a dentist in the community since last year. When are we starting a start-up plan for the small community dental teams to come into the communities? When is that going to happen? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to begin, I would like to say that it's the Non-Insured Health Benefits program that offers dental services. The NIHB program uses facilities that belong to NTHSSA. Really, the responsibility here is with Indigenous Services Canada. They were the ones who suspended dental treatment service last March when the COVID pandemic lockdown began. What happened after that is that the Health and Social Services authorities, supported by the leadership council, requested that dental services not be resumed in health centres until a number of issues, including safety concerns that went beyond COVID-19, were resolved and there was an establishment of clear roles and responsibilities for the delivery of this service.
All of this inevitably led to a working group. The working group did its job and came up with a resumption of services plan. There are now six communities that are receiving dental services because they have newer health facilities that meet current air exchange and infection control requirements. Those communities, unfortunately, are not in the Member's riding, but work has not finished on this front. We are calling that Phase 1. In Phase 2, a working group has identified seven more communities where resumption of services might happen, depending on the assessment of the facilities in which those services would be offered. In this case, it is more promising for the Member's riding because it includes both Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok. Once again, the department will be doing facility assessments prior to the end of June and will then be developing a plan to resume services. Thank you.
I have a phase, and it's "phase right now." "Phase now." We need help. People are having to fly out. How much is it costing our government to fly people out into Yellowknife and into Hay River for the young children? Why can't we purchase portable units for those health centres across the territory? There must be portable units and some way to be able to provide that service. In regard to that, why is it taking so long? As a government, we have to cover the cost because I have a T in front of my healthcare number. They have to provide service. $38,800 a year we are provided for each resident in the community across the territory. Why is this service taking so long? One year.
At the Department of Health and Social Services, we really prioritize the safety of our patients. Where facilities were not meeting infection control and ventilation requirements, work could not be done in those facilities. This is not a long-term ban on dental services in these communities, but it's my understanding that teams are now working through potential solutions. The Member has mentioned a couple of potential solutions and maybe they are solutions, but nothing is going to happen with putting portable buildings into Ulukhaktok at this time of year. What is going to happen is that there will be this assessment done by the end of June and a plan developed then. Unfortunately, the residents of Ulukhaktok are going to wait longer for dental services to resume, but that is not because of a lack of money; it's because we want them to receive those services safely.
I am not asking for a portable unit, Mr. Speaker. I am asking for a portable air exchanger into the building, portable, being plugged in and able to provide service for dental, for air handling. I want commitment from this Minister, Mr. Speaker, in regard to improving dental care in the communities, all 27 communities and my four communities that I represent. We need help, Mr. Speaker. This has to be dealt with. We are not going to wait another year. It's costing this government numerous thousands and thousands of dollars to ship people out when they could do something simple, portable air exchange units. Is it possible for this Minister to commit to getting that done right away?
Among my many, many, many accomplishments, engineering is not one and so I cannot actually make a commitment to providing a portable air handling unit for the Member's health centres so that dental services can be resumed. What I have told him, and he is not satisfied with, is that there is an assessment that will happen within the next four months and a plan will be developed because, obviously, it is very important to a person's overall health that they have good dental health. The department does not argue with that. I know the Member is really big on "right now," but unfortunately, this is not a problem that lends itself to "right now."
Final supplementary. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want a commitment. Government has to come. The six communities that get dental services, all the power to them. Our communities are hurting, and it always becomes the communities are an afterthought in this government. Is that the way we are going to keep on going for something like this under COVID-19? How many studies do you have to do? Get a portable unit; give it to the dental team; fly them in. We need help. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Generally, Ulukhaktok has two dental visits a year, so at this point, they would have missed two. My hope is that that's all they are going to miss. There will be two more dental visits in the next fiscal year. I want to just correct the perception that it's only big communities with dental services. The Fort Providence health centre, the Fort Simpson Health Centre, the Fort Resolution Health Centre, the Norman Wells health centre, and the Aklavik Health Centre have all had dental visits within the last two months. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
