Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this is going to be built into the business plan, the one that we're going to be doing in June, to take a first look at and we'll lay out the future years there, as well. But I mean, Hay River this year, Fort Simpson next year. It will be in the business plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Yakeleya.

The item here on equipment over 50,000 shortfall. Can the Minister just give me a brief outline as to the type of equipment that we're talking about that's indicated here? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. St. Germaine.

Thank you, Mr. St. Germaine. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Where does the basic equipment fall within this category, or is there a different category for the communities that don't have basic equipment in their health centres? Again, I'm going to remind the Minister in terms of do not have a heart attack in the Sahtu region because there's no defibrillators there, IV pumps, cardiac monitors. This type of basic equipment that do not fall in this category, they don't have them in the Sahtu region, even stretchers, basic stretchers. They have various different kinds, but not the ones that we could use. So I want to ask the Minister, Mr. Chairman, in terms of basic equipment that the smaller outlying communities are lacking, where does that fall in terms of these major capital expenditures? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Some of the equipment listed by the Member is fairly basic equipment that, in our opinion, should be there, and if it isn't, we will have to make sure that it is. I will ask Mr. St. Germaine to speak a bit more about the small capital and how that's built, where it's covered and referenced.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. St. Germaine.

Thank you, Mr. St. Germaine. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. St. Germaine. I am not too sure how the funding is distributed amongst the authorities in terms of purchasing equipment. It should be a standard at least. Health centres have the equipment. Right now, they don't have the basic medical equipment for cardiac patients in the region. I don't know if priority is not given to them, or they just lack the funding, or the inventory is not kept up to date. Basic stretchers in the community...They have these boards, I don't know if they call them stretchers, but they don't have them in some of our centres. Are our own authorities not getting on with the programs in terms of basic equipment or the health department or just not

enough money to go through the various different boards to purchase them. I am encouraged by Mr. St. Germaine saying about bulk purchasing of equipment and other things, but there is something out of whack here that we just don't have cardiac monitors in the Sahtu, or IV pumps. Bad weather sometimes doesn't allow emergency planes to land. It's a good thing we have these nurses who are trained in these emergency situations, and we put them in some pretty hairy situations.

I appreciate what the Minister is saying. I appreciate what the staff is saying in terms of purchasing. I think that some basic things need to be put in our community. I am not too sure how that gets sorted out, Mr. Minister. I understand what you are saying, I just don't know where the gap is in communication. There are dollars, but I don't know if they are being spent in the right area. I want to let the Minister know the nurses in the communities are doing a wonderful job with the resources they have. Sometimes they are asking for something that doesn't seem to get to the authorities or powers that be to say we need cardiac monitors, we need IV pumps, we need defibrillators, we need some decent stretchers to help us with our job. That must be a challenge for the Minister to work with the boards. I believe that's something that can be and should be an automatic medical standard in our communities, Mr. Chair. I want to leave it at that and see if the Minister will make some comments to see how we can improve our situation. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Murray.

Thank you, Mr. Murray. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Murray. I understand being in the Sahtu, there was a list of wants, I guess, going around the region of what they wanted in their communities. I appreciate that they would go back and ask them to update their list again in terms of what they feel is a priority. I want to ask, Mr. Chairman, is there a set of basic, standard equipment in all health centres? You look at Colville Lake. You look at the poor dentist chair. I don't know which Minister came with me and sat in that dentist chair and it was upside down. It was a second-hand dentist chair from Inuvik hospital. Colville Lake still had Medieval times equipment in terms of their equipment. It was a crying shame, I was saying today...

...that we have equipment that is still in our health centres. I want to ask the Minister, is there a standard list of equipment that is in each of the medical centres? Stretchers, for sure; cardiac monitors, things that the other regions, other hospitals, take for granted. That's what I am getting at. I am not too sure if the funding would allow for it, but is there funding that says here is a flat fee and, no matter what, you are getting some basic supplies and then add on as you need them? I don't know if that makes sense, but that's just something I want to pass on to the Minister in terms of the equipment into our smaller centres to help them. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member also put a written question on the floor that he asked very similar information on and we are in the process of gathering that. In that letter, we will lay out the work this committee has done in terms of the basic standard equipment that the professionals think should be there. It will lay out in detail what that is and we will be getting that information to the Member. I appreciate his concern. As well, of course, before we go for a tour in the Sahtu, we would like to make sure we have some of these basic issues in hand. Thank you.

Mahsi, Minister Miltenberger. Next on the list I have Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to follow in line with my colleague, Mr. Yakeleya, I am still not clear if the department has a standard list. Earlier, the Minister indicated that 1.5 is submitted for operations and maintenance. For example...(inaudible)...How would the health centres in the small communities access this fund? Thank you.