Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the communities, nurses have been given courses in palliative care and how to deal with terminally ill patients. In the larger centres where they have facilities, like Yellowknife, they have an excellent group of people and a level of resources to help people in their final days.

In the small communities, especially where there are nursing stations, the nurses there, for the most part, are given that kind of training. Every attempt is made to work with the families to make sure that the final days of the terminally ill are as painless and as dignified as possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will restate the commitment I made earlier during question period that yes, the issues raised in the Members' statements, the issues that have been raised through questions, the issues that have been raised through the main estimates and over the last number of years, will all be considered as we look at this particular program area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In my Member's statement, I talked about the co-payment, which is burdensome for people from Hay River. In fact, $250 is the full cost of travel to Yellowknife when they get referred. Two hundred and fifty dollars is the full price of airfare to Yellowknife and back.

One group that is particularly hard hit by this under the current medical services available in Hay River now and for quite some time, are maternity patients. Right now, if you are in Hay River and you are expecting a baby, you are expected to come to Yellowknife three weeks in advance. Normally, people who are referred might come for a test and leave, might come and be admitted to the hospital for surgery and then leave, but maternity patients have to come to Yellowknife a full three weeks in advance of having their baby.

There are all kinds of costs that could be incurred by them. They have to pay the $250 co-payment. Then they get here and they have to pay for accommodation. They have to pay for transportation while they are here. They might have to pay for childcare for the children they have left behind. They are away from their family while they are having a baby.

I am wondering, is there anything the Minister could do to specifically address the issue of maternity patients? This is very costly time. We pride ourselves on a health care system unlike the United States, where it costs thousands of dollars to have a baby. Thank you.

I just want to remind Members that Members' statements are over. When asking questions, the preamble should not be too long. The question was asked. Shorten the preambles, shorten the answers. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I share the Member's concern and I share the Member's interest in having, for example, birthing services available in communities other than Yellowknife. I have also committed and will commit to her as well to look at this particular issue. I know it affects many, many women from my community as well. In fact, my daughter will be travelling here in a few months to make me a grandfather once again, of which I am very proud.

It is an issue and I realize the burden of cost it places on families. It is one that I as well am interested in addressing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did not quite get the answer, but let me state the question again. Would the Minister agree to waiving the co -payment for maternity patients due to the amount of time they have to spend here in Yellowknife and the additional costs associated with coming here to have a baby? Will he waive the cost of the co-payment? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen, you have asked it twice. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will seriously consider the Member's request. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question as well will be directed to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. In line with my Member's statement, can the Minister tell me what telehealth services are currently available in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are sites currently in Stanton, Fort Smith and Inuvik, and there are sites to be coming on stream in Holman, Deline, Fort Simpson and Hay River. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am aware of that, and it is good to see we are bringing in more and more facilities in different locations. I was really looking for information on what kind of services the health professionals are using in these facilities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the equipment used is computerized and tied into monitors allowing the transmittal of information, as well as parties in the two separate communities to be able to talk to each other, tests that are being done. For example, you could examine a patient's ear in Inuvik and have that on a screen in Yellowknife for the doctor to examine. It is a technology that is expanding rapidly and it is one that, I agree with the Member, has significant potential. Thank you.