Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like many Members in this House, I am concerned about the health of our constituents and about the level of care and the quality of service they expect to receive in the Northwest Territories. I have been a supporter of the Health Minister's efforts to ensure that our Stanton hospital is able to provide both the routine and specialized services required by northern patients.
Mr. Speaker, our colleagues will recall that I asked the Minister of Health, some time ago, about the purchase of a state-of-the-art dialysis machine for the Stanton hospital. At the time, I emphasized the plight of northerners who were suffering, not only from debilitating kidney disease, but also from the necessity to travel south in order to receive any treatment that they would require for kidneys, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, from the time I first raised this question with the Minister to the present time, I have been interested in learning the progress made and to obtain more information about the numbers of people affected with renal disease and to what degree they are suffering.
Unfortunately, I have found it frustrating when questions regarding this matter often received somewhat guarded responses from Department of Health officials and hospital staff. I am sure that any unnecessary delays must be heartbreaking to those who have such a serious reliance on dialysis treatment.
In any event, Mr. Speaker, there are at least four cases that I do know of where our residents must live in the south in order to obtain dialysis treatment. It seems likely that there must be similar cases from the eastern Arctic of those who also must travel and live in the south for kidney treatment. Although I do not have firm figures yet, I am almost certain that if these treatments were available here, it would be a cost-saving measure for this government.
As I did in October, I will urge this government to establish a renal treatment program here in the Northwest Territories and to repatriate our northern patients back to the north. I will have some questions for the Minister of Health later on, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.