Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week my 2-year-old came down with a nasty ear infection and though I was able to stay at home with him, 811 instructed my family to err on the side of caution and have him checked out. As Yellowknife Primary Care accepts booking just after they open at 8 a.m., I made sure to have my phone in hand ready as the seconds ticked closer to the right moment to make my call. First, 8 o'clock, then 8:01, 8:02, 8:03, 8:04, and finally I hit dial just as 8:05 came on to the screen of my phone. When the phone rang, I eagerly anticipated my opportunity to arrange the care my child needed yet the phone kept ringing and ringing. Then to my disappointment, it ended with a message informing me that a high volume of calls meant I would have to wait a little longer. So I did. After 15 minutes, my fears were confirmed. My call still went unanswered meaning an appointment was out of reach.
Mr. Speaker, this frustrating experience is shared with too many of my constituents who often fail in their attempts to secure their own appointments as well. And, as frustrating as it is on our end, I can't imagine how it must feel for the staff on the other end of the phone who try their best every day when their switchboard is lit up with dozens of incoming calls. They don't work in health care to drop calls, Mr. Speaker. They work in health care to help Northerners and their families, but under such unmanageable conditions, sending me to voicemail must have been their only option.
Instead of primary care, we then relied on the Range Lake clinic and booking the appointment was a trivial matter. I merely chose a time on their website, filled in my details, and I was set. We were relieved to have the care we needed for our son, and luckily, the appointment didn't come at any cost.
Mr. Speaker, I know health and social services would have preferred that I gotten the care my son needed from them. We are constantly reminded that we are in the midst of significant primary care reform, yet we have not heard from the Minister what this reform is in exact detail and how it will improve the delivery of care. We are well into our second year, yet when we ask in this chamber how we will fulfill the Assembly's priority to increase the accessibility of care, we are met with a ringing phone call that ends in a message telling us to call back at another time. Mr. Speaker, for too many of us, and too many of us Northerners, that phone is still ringing unanswered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Sahtu.
