Thank you, Madam Chair. The Department of Health and Social Services is requesting a total of just over $265 million for the 2006-2007 fiscal year. This is an addition of about $18 million over last year's main estimates, an increase of approximately seven percent.
Investments in and changes to the health and social services system are being made to continue to implement the integrated service delivery mode, a team-based, client-focused approach to providing health and social services. The primary community care approach, a key element on which the ISDM is based, ensures that services are available as close to the client as possible. The primary community care teams, working closely and cooperative with regional and territorial caregivers, ensure a continuum of services for all residents of the Northwest Territories.
I would like to highlight a number of very important new initiatives in this budget in support of advancing the ISDM.
The 2006-2007 Main Estimates proposed establishing three new rehabilitation teams, to be located in Inuvik, Yellowknife and Hay River/Fort Smith, in addition to the existing territorial team located at Stanton Territorial Hospital. These regional teams will work with our community-based partners, schools and boards and will be made up of physiotherapists and their assistants, speech language pathologists and speech aids,
occupational therapists and assistants, as well as support staff. Through this significant investment, the teams will provide more consistent coverage of rehabilitation services and reduce patient wait times.
The main estimates includes over $4 million in new initiatives made possibly by the federal health care funding out of the 2004 First Ministers' Accord, including additional frontline nursing positions for small communities and the introduction of six new nurse practitioner positions.
In addition, while we continue to find efficiencies in as many areas as possible, we are investing additional resources to deal with the rising cost of doing business. We have made investments in the workforce, like salary increase for our physicians and specialists, the higher costs associated with foster care, medical supplies that must be purchased, and the expanding costs of our health benefit programs, including drugs and medical travel.
The main estimates request of just over $265 million will be distributed between five main areas of activity:
- • $26 million for program delivery support. This is the support and assistance needed throughout the system. This includes HR services such as recruitment and training, IT systems development and support, as well as the administration of our health services insurance programs and the authorities' operations.
- • $149 million for health services programs. These services are provided at our health centres, public health clinics, doctors' offices, hospitals and some facilities in southern Canada. It includes things like public health, chronic care clinics, inpatients and outpatient care, and physician services. The cost of delivering these programs is estimated to increase from last year's costs by approximately $15 million.
- • $17.6 million for supplementary health programs. This covers the additional benefits provided to eligible residents for programs like Metis health benefits, indigent health benefits, extended health benefits and medical travel.
- • $65 million for community health programs. These programs include the provision of child and family social services. This budget also supports programs that promote healthy lifestyles and community wellness, and include services for at-risk individuals and families.
- • $6 million for the directorate. This includes system-wide leadership and management, planning, policy and legislation development and administration support for the department.
We are continuing to make the necessary changes and improvements to the system to ensure access to services is as efficient and seamless as possible for clients. We are working to reduce wait times at Stanton's operating room and emergency room. We now have three registered midwives in the NWT. We are hiring northern graduates and training our staff for more advanced positions, including nurse practitioners. The toll-free nursing line provides 24-hour advice to people in their homes. NWT residents have used the toll-free health line over 5,000 times in 2005. For all these programs and services, the department and the authorities work collaboratively with many government and non-government partners.
However, there will never be enough money for health and social services if the primary focus is on treating illnesses. We need to continue to emphasize prevention: encouraging people to eat right and get enough exercise, to stop smoking and drinking, to immunize children against contagious diseases. Additional investments are being made, in cooperation with a number of other departments, on healthy living initiatives. Phase two of the very successful Butthead campaign, a challenge to our children and youth to be smoke free, is underway. We also have a responsibility as leaders to be role models and lead by example. I commend Members of this Legislative Assembly for successfully taking the challenge, along with our youth, to be smoke free. In the upcoming year, a healthy foods policy is being implemented in all health facilities in the NWT to promote healthy eating.
Madam Chair, I welcome the opportunity to answer the questions and listen to the comments of committee members. Thank you.