I am looking at all options, but there are two things the Member and the public need to know. Mr. Abernethy is very familiar with this issue. Because children move around, they
need to be put to sleep for this procedure in a way that adults don’t, for safety purposes.
In southern jurisdictions private clinics have surgery units that can do dental surgery for children. The costs are covered by the private sector. We have a situation in the North: no private clinics have that facility. But in the south, they have them and they cover them. Government does not pay for those.
Government is trying to step in to see what we can do. On the question about why not Stanton: Stanton does have a third OR room, but this is a kind of service that doesn’t need the full spectrum of surgery services. I think it is important for us to consider where services can be provided outside of Yellowknife, and we should consider that. We have an active proposal from the dentist community in Hay River, and they have a surgery unit that is not being used. We have 120 children on the waiting list in the South Slave region. It’s all documented; they are ready to go, and that’s why I am considering that option.