Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Ramsay on October 31, 2006, regarding Stanton Territorial Hospital Sleep Centre.
- The department undertook a review of several factors for testing and treatment options for sleep apnea. A Sleep Disorder Advisory Committee considered the equipment, which Dr. Remmers of Calgary provides, and also worked with a consultant to develop the
- options and assess the implications of the program models proposed by the committee. A copy of the consultant's report has been sent to the Member.
- The working committee recommended an in-house sleep apnea program to be based at Stanton Territorial Hospital. However, funding for this recommendation was not available. As a result, the following arrangements have been established for the testing and treatment of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea:
- initial testing is undertaken in the regional centres of Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik;
- Stanton has arranged for this testing to be provided through a private contractor;
- the testing is an insured service under the NWT health care plan;
- an internal medicine specialist reviews the test results and, if needed, prescribes specialized equipment for treatment, such as continuous positive air pressure device or a bi-directional positive air pressure device;
- most northerners have a significant portion of the costs for these machines covered through their employer's insurance plan;
- First Nations and Inuit persons are covered under Health Canada's Non-Insured Health Benefits Program;
- the Department of Health and Social Services administers the Metis Health Benefits Program that covers the costs of eligible equipment for Metis northerners, and the Extended Health Benefits Program that covers the costs of eligible equipment for people 60 years and older; and
- the Specified Medical Conditions Program under the Extended Health Benefits Program covers the costs of the equipment for non-aboriginal northerners if the equipment is required for the treatment of a chronic condition under the program.
- The coverage for this service is not different from the way health services are routinely administered in Canada. A physician makes a diagnosis and identifies the treatment plan for the patient. These services are insured services under the NWT health care plan. The NWT health care plan does not cover the treatment needs, such as prescription drugs or medical supplies of patients who are not in hospital. As a result, clients must pursue coverage of those costs through one of the programs noted above.
- Stanton Territorial Hospital does not maintain detailed waitlist information for this service. However, the contractor has been able to respond to the demands for testing without significant delay.
- Stanton has contracted out the services for sleep studies to a private contractor. The provision of sleep studies is shared between Stanton staff and a private contractor. Staff provide overnight oximetry and if this indicates that a full study is warranted, the full sleep study is ordered through the private contractor.
- With respect to the Member's question on the clinical staffing review at Stanton Territorial Hospital, the consultant is completing the work for the report. When the report has been completed, it will be distributed to all stakeholders, including the union and the department.
- Employees in health care professions have raised the issue of having their own bargaining unit within the Union of Northern Workers. Health care professionals believed that this would give them a better advantage in negotiating greater wages and benefits than other employees and further attract and retain individuals to health care professions in the North. However, negotiating differential pay and benefits for only their group would be a violation of equal pay requirements. This issue has been raised numerous times over the past two decades. The Department of Human Resources advises that multiple bargaining units and multiple agreements are not possible within the UNW. Provisions of relevant legislation do not contemplate bargaining units within the UNW other than those identified in s. 41. (1.4) of the Public Service Act. An employees' association, such as UNW, can initiate collective bargaining only on behalf of the members of a bargaining unit. Unless the UNW is representing a bargaining unit identified in s. 41. (1.4) of the Public Service Act, the Minister is under no obligation to bargain.
- The relevant provisions of the present Public Service Act do not offend the freedom of association guaranteed by s. 2(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as determined by a Supreme Court of Canada decision in 1990. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.