Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The recent health facility studies conducted by the GNWT show a clear picture of the health facilities in the Northwest Territories. That picture shows that the Sahtu region urgently needs a Sahtu regional wellness centre such as other regions have today.
The Tlicho, Beaufort-Delta and Sahtu regions all have to fly patients to regional hospitals. Sahtu residents are flown to Inuvik or Yellowknife to receive much of their care. The dedicated staff at the nursing stations in the Sahtu provide primary care and services such as X-rays and blood tests. In our smaller communities, the nurse provides the primary care and often refers patients to out-of-town physicians on medevacs, but the physician schedule sometimes means that people have to wait a long time before they see a doctor.
Many Sahtu babies are born in Inuvik and Yellowknife. Many Sahtu people have to relocate to Yellowknife or Inuvik temporarily to receive specialized treatment. I urge this government to find ways to expand the service provided by the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority. The Sahtu people need a Sahtu regional wellness centre that can provide acute care. There is a great demand for increased midwifery services across the Northwest Territories. The Sahtu regional wellness centre can be an ideal location for such a service in our region.
We need to be able to take care of our people while they are dying. It is very sad when our people have
to pass away far away from their homes at times, without their families with them. We need a health care professional based in the Sahtu, who can administrate the medication frequently required for the type of care. A specialized treatment that must be performed regularly, such as dialysis, if it were available in the Sahtu, would decrease the transportation costs and allow people to stay closer to home with their families, eliminating the struggle to find long-term accommodations in Yellowknife or Inuvik while they receive their treatment.
Our population is aging and that requires increased health care services. We need a Sahtu regional wellness centre that can provide a wide range of health care now. Let us show people that we care for them close to home and the loved ones that do support them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.