Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was very impressed to hear the statement made by the Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs on the health care systems sustainability unit, the creation of that unit, which leads me to my first question to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
After a review of federal-funded positions hired in the Sahtu, is a medical travel coordinator position feasible? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member from the Sahtu. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many of our programs that are federally funded are -- you know, they're allocated as to certain area that is are, you know, priorities of the federal government. And so we have to try and fit the needs of the Northwest Territories into that. However, you know, with the medical travel, you know, what I can do is I can commit to ensuring that we review as part of our process under reviewing medical travel where our staff are located, and where are they located it best meets the needs of the territory and the residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank to the Minister for that commitment there. I look forward to the results of that commitment on the review. Currently, as mentioned in my statement, we have 24 vacant funded vacancies.
My next question there, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister support medical escort assistant to that position as well? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to have to talk more with the Member as to what role that would be, and the way I'm interpreting it is it would be somebody that we would hire on to travel with people as escorts. But there are many family members that -- and people, residents, that would want their family too. So I guess we would have to review to see if that's what the Member is asking for, but I can commit to having further discussions to understand what that would mean. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my statement, and earlier as well, there's 24 funded vacancies. Will the Minister work with the other departments to see if those positions within the respective department will be filled? If not, is there a possibility of transferring that PY funds in the creation of a Sahtu regional medical travel coordinator? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the vacant positions within other departments, you know, health and social services is an enormous department, it is the largest department, and if I -- if I start eating up all of their vacant positions that they may be trying to recruit for or having trouble recruit for, I don't think my colleagues would be too happy with me. But what I can do is, like I mentioned to the Member, is I can commit to looking at what the needs are of the people of the Sahtu. I travelled with the Member. I heard a lot of different scenarios with -- along the lines of medical travel. So that is one thing that I will continue to highlight during our review to ensure that support is in place throughout the territory where it's needed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to say thank you to the Minister for looking at filling those two positions, possibly three. Mahsi.
Colleagues, please use this oral questions to ask questions. Thank you.
Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
