Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are to the Minister of Health and Social Services and this whole area of sleep apnea, sleep disorder and the treatments for such conditions. I must admit, it is a pretty complex area. I understand that the Minister has had this portfolio for a week. I am hoping that this will just open a dialogue for bringing attention to him of this matter and to get some commitment from the Minister that he would be active in sorting out some of the policy areas, Mr. Speaker. As I stated in my Member's statement, this is a condition that affects about...Well, I could tell you, Mr. Speaker, that this a condition that affects about five percent of the population. There are a lot of people in the North who need to go through this testing and who could benefit from it. In fact, probably in the long run, it could save the government a lot of money if they are adequately treated. The coverage of the various equipment is one issue, but the other issue has to do with the service provider. Mr. Speaker, I have indicated that the government has put out an RFP to find a provider, a vendor, contractor to provide the service and it just came out this week. I understand that is under the guideline of the national health insurance policy, which should be the way. But my problem is, I understand this is only partial. This is interim and the government is looking at doing this in-house at the expense of about $500,000, based on a report that really has a credibility question that suggests that this has to be done internally when there are private providers who are already providing that at almost no cost. I would like to ask the Minister to commit to this House that he will look at this issue and make sure that the government will set up a policy and make sure that the government follows that national health insurance policy and that he would look at the most cost-effective measure in delivering this program. Thank you.
Sandy Lee on Question 246-15(5): Sleep Apnea Treatment Programs
In the Legislative Assembly on November 1st, 2006. See this statement in context.
Question 246-15(5): Sleep Apnea Treatment Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
October 31st, 2006
Page 646
See context to find out what was said next.