Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity today to talk again about the crisis at Stanton Hospital. Mr. Speaker, I just came back from talking to the health care workers at the hospital who were engaged in a walkout during the lunch hour.
Mr. Speaker, years of complaints from these workers continue to go unnoticed, and I have to urge the Minister of Health and Social Services again to come up with a plan immediately and act on this serious situation.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health indicated yesterday that he is the Minister responsible for health care north of 60, and I must wonder, if he keeps going this way and doing nothing, he may become the Minister of ICU at Fort McMurray.
Mr. Speaker, I need to hear from him, in words and action, that he understands, appreciates and values the need for an acute treatment centre north of 60 and that Stanton Hospital is the one to serve the people.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that a lack of a competitive package for health care workers has resulted in the facility running with half of the necessary staff. I tabled the article that was published in the Yellowknifer -- staff in audiology, the laboratory and the imaging department are all working hundreds and hundreds of hours of overtime. The lack of money for capital equipment is seriously affecting the ability of the staff to conduct their work.
Mr. Speaker, the CT scan, which I said earlier in this House was purchased with money raised by the Stanton Foundation, should be running 24 hours a day but because of the shortage of staff, it is hardly running. There is only one person who can work that, at maximum.
Mr. Speaker, the specialists unit at the hospital is practically decimated. We have only one orthopedic surgeon, one general surgeon and we need one extra of each. We have an internist position that was vacant for two years and now that we have the potential of hiring somebody, she will not be able to work in the ICU.
Mr. Speaker, we cannot wait any longer. We have to come up with a creative idea to make these packages competitive so that we can fill these vacant positions so these people can have a life and continue to stay here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.