Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about the Stanton Regional Hospital Foundation's capital equipment campaign. Mr. Speaker, the Stanton Regional Hospital Foundation is undertaking a major fund raising campaign to raise approximately $2 million to acquire important diagnostic equipment for the hospital. A key piece of diagnostic equipment required is a CT scanner. People of all ages from newborns to seniors benefit from CT scans. A CT scanner produces detailed images of the body and is used to detect disease and internal problems in the head, spine, chest, abdomen, pelvis, arms and legs. For example, it is essential in the diagnosis and follow-up of various forms of cancer, for determining the cause and extent of stroke and the extent of traumatic injuries.
Mr. Speaker, all people in the north who require a CT scan must now travel to hospitals in southern Canada. There is no CT scanner available in the NWT. In a typical year, the Stanton Regional hospital pays over $600,000 in transportation for emergency patients to receive CT scans in the south. Today, the north is experiencing a severe shortage of general practice physicians. The ability to attract and train physicians in the future will be greatly enhanced if a CT scanner can be purchased for the hospital. The Stanton Regional Hospital is, in fact, a territorial hospital as it serves the entire western Arctic and Kitikmeot regions. Patients from the communities travel to the hospital in Yellowknife for both inpatient health care, outpatient services and emergency care. The hospital also provides travelling clinics of doctors and nurses to all communities to provide a broad range of medical services. In a typical year, over 17,000 patients from communities outside of Yellowknife in the western Arctic and Kitikmeot region alone are seen by the medical staff at Stanton.
Mr. Speaker, the Stanton Regional Hospital Foundation should be commended for embarking on this capital equipment campaign to raise $2 million, largely from businesses, organizations, individuals and various levels of government in the western Arctic and the Kitikmeot region. Mr. Speaker, I personally support this important initiative as a CT scanner will ensure that northerners will continue to receive a high standard of health care and not fall behind the level of diagnostic analysis and health services provided at hospitals in southern Canada. Thank you.
--Applause