Yes, I can assure the Member that the computer has been ordered, on my instructions earlier on, after learning of this necessary piece of equipment not being there. I tried to find a spare one in the department to address that situation immediately, but the technology does change fairly quickly and I thought there was no point sending junk there. We ordered one, it should be there by the end of next week. If it is not, I will want to know why.
Debates of March 26th, 1992
Topics
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Mr. Antoine.
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Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to acknowledge that from the department. In areas of bio medical/general equipment, the Fort Simpson hospital has a very old x-ray machine and it is broken down. They have a smaller portable one. I was in the hospital on Monday and I am told it does not take very good x-rays and yet it is still used as equipment. I was wondering if there is anything in this budget for the Fort Simpson hospital for a newer x-ray machine.
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Mr. Minister.
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Tony Whitford Yellowknife South
The answer is yes. I would like to have Mr. Norwich answer that in more detail.
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Mr. Norwich.
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Norwich
Mr. Chairman, the x-ray unit at Simpson hospital was repaired at a cost of $8600. It is operable. However, the quality of the pictures that are being taken at the present time are not as good, although they are acceptable and as readable by a radiologist as they could be, because of bubbles in the tube which takes the photograph. This was found by the Picker repair people when they did the work. Rather than leave the unit unserviceable, they put it back into action and the replacement part is on order and will be put into place as soon as it arrives.
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Equipment acquisition,
headquarters, total region, $1,070,000. Agreed?
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
--- Agreed
Equipment Acquisition, Total Capital, Agreed
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Total acquisition of equipment, $1,070,000. Agreed?
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
--- Agreed
Territorial Hospital Insurance Services, Total
Capital
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Total activity, $5,699,000. Mr.
Gargan.
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Samuel Gargan Deh Cho
About four years ago the new hospital was put in place and on March 8th there was an interview on the radio with regard to some renovations. About one million dollars worth of renovations are going to be done to the Stanton Yellowknife Hospital. It says the existing hospital is about 15 years behind the times, according to the interview, and does not accommodate the way medicine is practised in the 1990s. This hospital is only four years old. I do not know why, when the hospital was built, those 1990s visions were not reflected at that time. I do not understand. Certainly that should have been addressed. These costs should have been
addressed in the first place.
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Mr. Minister.
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Tony Whitford Yellowknife South
The Member's concerns are quite valid. Times have really changed, and change happens so rapidly; in the last few years, technology has seemed to outdistance itself before too long. I think perhaps the facility was subject to this technological and program acquisition. The necessity for making some of the renovations now is to keep pace and attract certain programs to the North, certain medical procedures that can be done here in the NWT rather than have patients go south. The ear, nose and throat specialists, for example, can operate out of this hospital. An orthopedic surgeon is now living here in the city and we now do not refer people south for the needs that we used to. These are slight design changes to accommodate the new services, minor changes to make things a little more streamlined.
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Mr. Gargan.
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Samuel Gargan Deh Cho
The requirements are in areas of orthopedic surgeon, general surgeon and optometrist and radiologist. Are the renovations for offices or areas where equipment can be put?
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Mr. Minister.
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Tony Whitford Yellowknife South
They will encompass both offices for the specialists and examining rooms; in addition to that, offices and rooms to accommodate testing -- for example the audio testing room is a specialized area that, of course, when you test the ears you want to make sure that the sound that is there is as pure as can be and uncontaminated by the outside. So it has to be designed in such a way to allow for that kind of treatment to take place. There is also a waiting area/reception area associated with the specialists that are there. In order to do examinations, they need a place to operate out of. That is what these renovations are for.
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Thank you. Mr, Gargan.
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Samuel Gargan Deh Cho
Do you have to do a bit of demolition or tear down walls or stuff like that in order to redesign certain portions of the building? Are the capital estimates on that also for the required equipment necessary in those specialized areas?
Item 18: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
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Tony Whitford Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would ask Mr. Norwich to respond to that.
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The Chair Richard Nerysoo
Mr. Norwich.
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Norwich
Mr. Chairman, for the renovations and upgrade of the Stanton Yellowknife Hospital, the project costs include the work to be done, architectural fees, and the design. The construction portion is around $820,000. The equipment relative to this project was approved prior, in the summer, and I believe it costs about $340,000 for capital equipment. So the equipment required is on site and ready to go for the spaces that are being renovated. Thank you