As we’re about to deliberate the health budget I just want to reiterate many of the concerns that come from my constituency of Nahendeh. First I’ll just mention that during my Member’s statement I mentioned the nursing station in Wrigley. Myself, the community and all the residents went through great effort to get the RCMP established with a full understanding that once that was in place, the nursing can be reinstated in Wrigley. The safety of the nursing station there was of primary concern. So we went through all this routing and achieved, through much effort and work, getting the RCMP. Now we’re looking at getting the nursing back.
This community is poised to be one of the impacted communities, should there be a pipeline, and working towards that. But right now it’s the community that’s without services and it’s very much needed. It felt very left out by government when it comes to providing professional services.
We do have monthly visits and commitments for health coverage during freeze-up and break-up, which is lasting longer and longer now. It’s averaging just in excess of a month now.
But over the course of time, in my five years as MLA representing Wrigley, occasionally we come across a nurse that’s willing to work in a small community; someone who is ready and willing to be there. But because of the way the budget is structured, they couldn’t put that nurse there at all. People who want to move to small communities...And professionals do exist. They’re willing to commit for long periods of time. I believe we should take those opportunities when they come. Once again, I’ll be raising this issue with the department and doing the budget deliberations here in Committee of the Whole.
I just wanted to speak about some of the other concerns that come from the other communities of Nahendeh. The Minister toured with me in May of last year and she heard many of those concerns. During the monthly visits a lot of the concerns are that if there’s inclement weather or else a visit is missed, they felt that it actually extends the period between their health being taken care of. I’ll just share that with the Minister, as well, and I would just like to ask the department that should there be a missed day, that immediately and as soon as we can to get the doctor back there.
One of the recent concerns from the community of Trout Lake was that it’s a very small community and the community members did not understand why they had to have an appointment when the doctor is there. I can see if the doctor wanted to see certain people, but what is happening is our elders who don’t have a good command of the English language are going to the nursing station, sitting there, wanting to be seen either for their aches and pains, but the staff are saying, well, you didn’t have an appointment, so see you later. Why do I want to book an appointment for next month? It’s today I’m aching. So some of those sensitivities I believe have to be in our system. They’ve got to be there. We’ve got to have the flexibility. I don’t know if timing is an issue, but we have to take that extra hour to see an extra couple individuals, if that’s what it takes. That speaks to us being the caring and attentive providers of the service to our communities and to our people.
Also, there are businesspeople that have a good command of the aboriginal language -- South Slavey in my case -- who are often asked to be escorts for our elders. What’s going on is that they’re putting potential wage-earning opportunities aside and work opportunities to travel with these elders, and they’re coming here with little or no money. I know that we’re providing them space and
providing them food, but it really doesn’t make sense that they have no spending money. They’re here with an elder for three or four days. I don’t know; it’s just not manageable. We need some kind of...I don’t know how we’re going to do it. I don’t think they’re asking for a per diem, but probably something along the line of incidentals to help them out. It doesn’t have to be universal. If we put in some kind of...If we reviewed it and looked at it, if we do it for smaller communities and their people, particularly the community of Fort Liard. There are a couple of individuals that are often the go-to people to travel with the elders. They have many elders and so that happens quite a bit. They’re often asked to assist and, being good-hearted, they do. But at the same time they’re in Yellowknife for four or five days with little or no money at all. We don’t want to lose their goodwill or their service, too. I believe that somehow we should support them while they provide this valuable service to us, because they are providing translation services.
Our translators in our health centres I believe should be adequately supported and offered continued training so that they can update their skills and learn medical terminologies that will be beneficial to them in their jobs. This also helps create, as well, a little bit of a business for people that can provide aboriginal language services. So with those translators I believe they have to be supported only because people continue to be concerned about misdiagnosis, because our elders are going there and they’re going there for probably serious things, but once again they’re continuing to be given aspirin. I don’t know if they’re wrongly diagnosed or misdiagnosed, but real or imagined I believe it’s a concern of our people and our constituents and that this must be treated seriously. Our people deserve the best care.
When someone comes in I believe they should be checked over properly and not to be put off until the next day, because everybody has busy lives and if they miss a scheduled visit, then chances are they won’t come back. The reason they’re going to the health centres during that day and during that specific time is because they are concerned about their health, and to be dismissed is not a good feeling at all. Or else to be given a bottle of aspirin or something is just not...Once again, our health centre is not being viewed as caring for the people.
Mind you, I do have to give a pat on the back, too, that we’re doing our best at those times. But like I said, it’s largely our non-English speaking aboriginals who don’t have a good command of the English language are the ones being affected the most. It goes through everything. Even glasses. I always say that. Our elders always concur. They always say “eh-heh,” which means yes. Sometimes I believe that because of their nature, when they
even do an eye test, it kind of skews the way the person is doing the exam. When they get their glasses, they are largely non- confrontational, our seniors and if the prescription is too strong or too weak, they are not going to say anything. They just move closer to the TV or something like that. But it is up to us. We are the providers. I believe we should take the time and the opportunity to provide the best services there are. I think one of the ways that we can do that is...and I have always been a strong provider of cross-cultural training and I believe that should be continued. I know that we do it. I don’t know how often we do it, but I would stress to the Minister that something should be on an annual basis. It doesn’t mean that the same people have to be taking the same courses, but I do know that their staff turnover will largely benefit from cross-cultural training when they are working in the small communities and the aboriginal communities. It will benefit not only them but the people we do serve. This is one small way. If we continue that, I believe it will help improve our services. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no further comments.