Debates of June 5th, 2008

This is page numbers 899 to 954 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was health.

Topics

Oral Questions

Prayer

Speaker’s Ruling

Minister’s Statement 53-16(2) Drive Alive: Summer Safety Initiatives

Minister’s Statement 54-16(2) Protected Area Strategy

Inuvialuit Final Agreement 25th Anniversary

Early Entry To Kindergarten Programs

Inuvialuit Final Agreement 25th Anniversary

Elimination Of Business Incentive Policy

Guidelines For Seismic Lines

Inuvialuit Final Agreement 25th Anniversary

Cabinet Communications

Acknowledgement Of Crystal Milligan

Kam Lake Access Road

High Cost Of Living In Small Communities

Proposed Elimination Of Deh Cho Youth Worker Position

Inuvialuit Final Agreement 25th Anniversary

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Question 263-16(2) Early Entry To Kindergarten Programs

Question 264-16(2) Renewal Of Mining Company Land Use Leases

Question 265-16(2) Guidelines For Seismic Lines

Question 266-16(2) High Cost Of Living In Small Communities

Question 267-16(2) Teaching Position Vacancies In Beaufort-Delta Region

Question 268-16(2) Access To Gravel Sources For Aklavik

Question 269-16(2) Kam Lake Access Road

Question 270-16(2) Elimination Of Business Incentive Policy

Question 271-16(2) Seniors’ Supplementary Benefit

Question 272-16(2) Employment For Summer Students

Question 273-16(2) Protected Areas Strategy

Question 274-16(2) Elimination Of Business Incentive Policy

Question 275-16(2) Elimination Of Business Incentive Policy

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Main Estimates 2008–2009 Department Of Health And Social Services

Committee Motion 29-16(2) To Reinstate Stanton Hospital Telehealth Coordinator Position And Associated Contribution Funding For A Total Amount Of $210,000, Health And Social Services, Program Delivery Support (Committee Motion Carried)

Committee Motion 30-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of The Operations Expenditures, Department Of Health And Social Services (Committee Motion Carried)

Committee Motion 31-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, Department Of Health And Social Services (Committee Motion Carried)

Main Estimates 2008–2009 Department Of Human Resources

Report of Committee of the Whole

Orders of the Day

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

By tomorrow morning?

Sandy Lee Range Lake

I’m not sure if I could commit to tomorrow morning, but as soon as possible. I think I have found in my role as the Minister that it is not an exact science. Information is not readily available on exactly what’s causing a deficit. There is usually a combination of factors. What I could provide the Member is how much money is budgeted for Beaufort-Delta and where that money’s being spent.

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Mr. Krutko. No? All right. Ms. Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to speak to the medical travel expense. I understand, as I am looking at these numbers, that it has gone up approximately $2 million from last year’s Revised Estimates. An increase of that sort.... Sorry, that brings us to approximately $12.5 million we are going to spend on moving people around for medical services. I mentioned in my remarks earlier that I think that is a horrendous amount of money. I

see there are an awful lot of options. I feel there a lot of options available to reduce that amount of money.

I’d like to ask the Minister if there are any plans at this point to reduce this expense over the next year and certainly into ’09–10. Are there any plans, ideas, anything, in mind to bring this dollar value down?

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you,

Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lee.

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Perhaps I can get Mr. Elkin to explain what that increase is for first.

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Mr. Elkin.

Elkin

There’s a $2.1 million increase in the medical travel the department funds to Stanton in ’08–09 that is made up of a $1.5 million increase in the air charter medevac contract, and the $600,000 increase in the air medevac personnel contract. Just to add, the overall mental health program is approximately $22 million because we received third-party funding and bill-backs, primarily for monetary health benefits for the remainder of the program.

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks for the information. I understand you know that when contracts get renegotiated, they certainly go up, and sometimes there are expenses that can’t be negotiated to a level we would like. It does seem a fairly large increase, $1.5 million for a medevac contract, but I’ll just leave it at that because that’s a done deal.

To go back to my original question, if the Minister could advise whether or not there are any plans in place to reduce the amount of money we spend on medical travel.

Cummings

One of the components of the territorial health act that’s funded is a component for pan-territorial initiatives. And under the FAST funding over the next little while, there will be an evaluation of how the medical travel policy and funding is administered in the three territories to look at efficiencies that might be gained.

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks for that. I wonder if I could get a definition of what “the next little while” might be.

Cummings

That will take place within the fiscal year.

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you. Just one other question. I think there’s some ability by hospitals, health centres and health authorities in general to change their attitudes, change their practices, to reduce some of the costs we incur for medical travel. I wonder if the department would consider placing a cap on the amount of funds that are available to a health authority, to a health centre, to a hospital, for

them to use for medical travel — in effect, trying to force them to reduce their costs.

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Right now the $22 million Medical Travel fund is located with Stanton Territorial Health Authority, and that’s the one that is a high-volume kind of issue area all the time. I am looking at that program to see how we could better run that, if at all possible, because it’s something we need to do.

I think we should also be mindful of the fact that it’s demand driven. It’s not just medevac travel, but personnel — anybody who’s taken a taxi from Resolution to Hay River to go to the nurse, or Tsiigehtchic to McPherson. We do have programs in the Territories where when you need it, you will get it. At the same time, we do hear anecdotal evidence that some of the medical travel might have happened where, if it was better coordinated, maximum use of that travel could have happened. I think we do need a systematic approach to see how we could better that, and so I am happy to undertake that and make that part of this review.

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks for that. I am really glad to hear this is going to be looked at, and I hope it’s sooner rather later. I guess I would reiterate my point that by placing a cap on the amount of money that is available, it may force people into being a little more creative in their thinking and force them into some economies of scale, which you have referenced already. I would urge the department to consider that. No questions.

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you,

Ms. Bisaro. Next on our list, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr.

Chair. I am

interested in the seniors’ aspect of this activity. We have heard much about how both the proportions of our population in the NWT and the absolute numbers who are seniors are growing, and I am wondering how this is reflected in this budget. I assume, at the same time, the proportion of youth will be declining over the same decade or whatever length of time we are planning for, so I am wondering how those things are reflected in this budget.

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Minister Lee.

Sandy Lee Range Lake

I don’t think the past practices have shown, or that we have any evidence to suggest, that demands on the Supplementary Health Funding would go down. That’s the reason we have to be constantly challenging to make sure we deliver the programs as efficiently as possible.

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I see we are having more seniors’ facilities and more seniors staying in the North than there used to be. Is that being reflected here in increased expenditures, or will that be coming up in another activity here?

Sandy Lee Range Lake

This Budget Address, this item is speaking to Métis Health Benefits, Indigent Health Benefits and Extended Health Benefits, and it does not speak to the need for facilities or other services needed for seniors specifically, although seniors I think do fall into Extended Health Benefits.

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you for that. I’ll perhaps bring it up later, but I see seniors are listed here in the first two items, first two paragraphs from the end, three paragraphs describing this activity.

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you,

Mr. Bromley. There was no question. Are there any other questions? Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Has there been any analysis as to why our medical travel is so high as opposed to just paying it because that’s the bill they come up with?

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you,

Mr. Hawkins. Minister Lee.

Debates of June 5th, 2008

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