Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of health. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain what sort of preventative and proactive measures our government is taking to lower the rate of individuals with diabetes in the NWT? Thank you.
Deh Cho. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of work being done in this area so, you know, I want to be able to provide some of the information, and I'll highlight, and then what I don't get to I'll provide that information to the Member, specifically to her riding as well.
So there's early planning for testing culturally grounded approaches to diabetes prevention and management, and this is currently being completed in partnership with the Tlicho government, Tlicho Community Services Agency, Deh Cho First Nations, and NTHSSA Deh Cho region. We've also implemented group nutrition education sessions in all regions for people diagnosed with prediabetes. Regionally, we've got diabetes education and care programs in Fort Smith, Inuvik, Hay River, and Yellowknife. There are an additional two initiatives underway under our primary health care reform designed to implement the implementation of an integrated care team which will provide clients with access to providers, all working at full scope, who are responsive to the client's needs in real time. On the land camps for diabetes management and prevention. Focus on intergenerational prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. And there's many more and I can provide those to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Health and Social Services provide a figure for how many people are living with diabetes in the NWT today? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we know that diabetes is a significant chronic disease in the Northwest Territories impacting approximately 10 percent of residents over the age 24, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister provide a dollar amount for how much the NWT healthcare system is paying to provide the proper healthcare treatment for people with diabetes in the NWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not at this time but I have my department looking into kind of a number of how we can get. But the main goal is to reduce the instance of diabetes and using money on preventative care, so we'll the department is trying to come up with some kind of numbers for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Deh Cho.
Thank you. And thank you to the Minister for that. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister share whether she considers diabetes to be an epidemic within the NWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, diabetes is a chronic disease, and it's a major problem for many NWT residents, specifically Indigenous people. This is why our priority is to work in partnership with individuals, families, communities, and to encourage healthy lifestyle choices and provide supportive disease management services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
