Thank you, Mr. Ramsden. Mr. Picco.
Debates of Feb. 23rd, 1998
Topics
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1037
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1037
Edward Picco Iqaluit
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I agree with the deputy minister. Indeed, mental health areas have really been put to the back burner as it were. Under the community wellness initiatives we have looked at areas to talk about suicide prevention and so on. It always seems to be that when traumatic events occur there is very little counselling available. I know in the regions you might have a visiting clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, and that is two different disciplines under medical health, Mr. Chairman. They are not the same. When we do have that expertise available, we usually find that one visit for three or four days and then someone goes and does not come back for another month. We need that ability in the regions so that you have someone available who can fly into communities to help during the traumatic incidents, like suicides, like accidents or rapes. All kinds of different areas. In any other jurisdiction we would have people on the ground for that. Sometimes the counselling services that are available, because of the language problems, do not translate very well when you are speaking with a person who does not understand English very well or maybe not at all, and then try to ask them what their problems are through an interpreter. It is a very serious area and I would ask that the Minister and his staff review this area to see what type of support we can give to the regions. Like the deputy minister said, maybe the focus has not been as much on mental health as it has on other things under our community wellness strategies. I would like some type of commitment today, from the department, to at least look at it. I know money is tight but it has come forward many times before. I know in my region especially. I brought this up about the counselling services that are available. My wife, who works in a facility that tries to provide counselling, is now getting more professional development, but they are not professionals. I think it is an area of concern. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1037
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Picco. Just to remind the Members that particular discussion would have been more
proper under community health programs, but I presume we are talking more on monitoring here so I will allow the question. Mr. Ng.
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would not argue with the honourable Member. He makes some good points there. I think what we have tried to do in that strategic investment initiatives fund is allow mental health initiatives to be one of the key criteria for boards to invest in through their own means or through some of the funds that are available in these initiatives fund. We are hoping, certainly, that some portion of the take up will be toward mental health initiatives as it is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed. Thank you.
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Floyd Roland Inuvik
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the area of medical travel that is one area that has been growing and under administration you say that financial management services provided include the monitoring of medical travel. This has been an area that has been growing. Can the Minister or someone in the department inform us as to whether there have been further increases in the area of medical travel?
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Roland, would your question fit under the next activity, which is health insurance program. I note it specifically refers to medical travel. Would you like to put your question at that time?
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question is regarding the whole area of monitoring and board development. I am looking at the evaluation and the setting of certain standards so that everybody in the territories gets the same treatment no matter where you live. You know that you will be able to see different specialists at any one time of the year. You will have the opportunity to have consistent services, especially where you have the smaller isolated communities, especially when you have doctors in regard to ensuring that there always will be doctors made available to the communities on a constant basis and especially with the concerns from the medical association concerning attracting good doctors to the north and keeping them in the north. I would like to ask the Minister, what has been done to establish the whole area of general guidelines or standards developed across the board so that everybody knows no matter which region or community you live in that you are going to get the same type of health care regardless of who your board is or where the board is located.
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think, Mr. Chairman, it has been indicated on a couple of occasions now. The finalization of the statement of core services will do that, in that there will be a broad understanding of what is expected. All boards will be able to provide for services and it will be our job to monitor the boards and evaluate the boards to make sure those services are being provided on a consistent bases. Thank you.
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to standards, there are also national standards that have to be followed regarding the Department of Health on the federal government side. What is being done to ensure that those standards are also adhered to by the boards that everyone knows they are receiving the same sort of health service based on the national health care standards that are in place and that everyone knows that the flow from Ottawa to Yellowknife to the communities is consistent regarding the type of health care you get in the Northwest Territories?
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, generally we would take the national standards into consideration when developing territorial standards that we would use for a statement of core services and I use for example, there have been some recent announcements about national standards for breast cancer screening. Those standards have been worked on over the course of the past few months and our staff is fully aware of that as we develop the NWT standards that I will be dealing with working with our boards as they undertake some of their work in developing how they are going to deliver the programs. Thank you.
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Regarding the area of delivering programs and implementing them in all the regions and regarding the demands on the different health boards, what is being done to ensure that the health boards are adequately trained or aware of the whole medical community and how the standards are implemented so that they are aware that these standards exist. Are there workshops or some sort of a mechanism that there are people brought in from the headquarters office out of Yellowknife or from the medical association to inform the health boards that these changes are coming. You mentioned the whole area about cancer screening which is a national program presently being announced, that there are different changes regarding the way the programs are being delivered. What type of an arrangement is done to prepare the boards with these changes that are presently taking place?
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1038
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I use the example of the breast cancer screening guidelines because it has been an issue in the forefront in the past session. The department and the breast cancer screening working group are coming together with the boards, I believe the date is March
13th, the middle of March, to work on those guidelines and develop the work plan on how they are going to deliver the services for their constituents, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1039
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1039
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The concern I have is that the Minister says that these boards are appointed to represent the regions and the different communities within the regions by the makeup of the board. What happens in the case of the makeup of the boards where you have, for instance, in my riding, Aklavik, McPherson and Tsiigehtchic where you have three different groups, the Inuvialuit, the Gwich'in. Who takes care of the interest of the non-aboriginal people in those ridings if that is the makeup of the board?
Committee Motion 20-13(5): To Amend Clause 19 Of Bill 10: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1998
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1039