Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of health clarify the rationale behind Alberta Cancer Care's requirement that all blood cancer patients from the NWT travel to Alberta for blood work and treatment? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in April, we were notified by Alberta Health Services that effective May 1st that they would no longer be providing virtual care and allowing for the hematology oncology patients here in Yellowknife to do their blood work. Under the standard of practice, they felt that their patients weren't being able to be serviced virtually, and so they made the decision to have all of the patients have to go to Alberta and be serviced through their oncology department. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It should come at no shock to anyone that this is a huge imposition on people who require this care. It's stress inducing. It is jeopardizing their health further potentially to make these trips. So what measure is the Minister taking to address the concerns raised by blood cancer patients regarding this anxiety, exposure to potential germs, and logistical challenges, and possible job losses associated with frequent travel to Alberta for cancer care? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to, you know, say to the Member I as soon as I found this out, this was a priority, this was something that I brought made sure that I had all the information as to what happened and to direct the department to come up with what the resolution is, and I hear the Member. I don't believe that it's you know, and I've heard from constituents and other constituents of other Members that, you know, this is not a sustainable for them already having to go through cancer treatment and going through this process, adding on having to travel, some of them and everybody is different weekly, this is not sustainable for anybody. And so that I made sure the department has come up with a plan. The plan is to work with Alberta Health because they are the drivers of what needs to be put in place, and that is being done right now with the department and Alberta Health Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to acknowledge the Minister has been responsive to my constituent and the other constituents as well. Is this I'd like to know more of the detail of work with is this bringing an oncologist to the North? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think what it is is there are approximately there is about 50 residents that are impacted and 11 residents receiving active cancer care. All of their plan of cares are different and so what the ask is that because of the I mean, and we've all heard it in this House the process of transferring blood work and records down to Alberta Health Services, well, their system doesn't speak to our system. That way the oncologists don't have the information because when we send it down to them, it's not being entered into their system on a timely manner. So what they've done is they've asked to increase to have a dedicated hematology oncology and to have a dedicated oncology nurse for this program in order for it to be able to resolve the issue and then come up with a plan in how to make sure that we're running it again in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. That sounds like what we need and what we're looking for. What is the timeline for this plan, Mr. Speaker?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And this is the question that I keep asking the department, what is the timeline. This is what I heard from your constituent, from my constituents, is I can't sustain doing this. We cannot and, you know, put aside the medical travel, it's the like, the things that you said, the things that you know, the stress of having to travel, you know, the some people are still working and trying to do this, so there is recruitment, so, you know, the Alberta Health will have to recruit an oncologist and then we will have to recruit an oncology nurse here in the territory to support that oncologist to ensure that this program is up and running again. I have asked to have it done as soon as it can be done, but I cannot push Alberta Health Services on how fast they can go. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
