Mr. Speaker, I have a return to a written question asked by Mr. Yakeleya on May 13, 2010, regarding the Medical Travel Policy.
The Medial Travel Policy provides for two different types of escorts: a medical escort, normally a doctor or a nurse required to provide professional care to the patient while travelling; or a non-medical escort, an adult authorized to accompany a patient who is unable to travel without some assistance or who is authorized to stay for part of all of the medical treatment.
A non-medical escort will be authorized under the following circumstances:
• the patient is under the age of nineteen and requires an escort;
• the patient is an infant who is being breast fed by the mother who is the non-medical escort;
• the patient has a mental or physical handicap of a nature that he or she is unable to travel unassisted;
• the patient requires an escort for interpretation during the travel; or
• the attending physician at the treatment facility provides a written request for a non-medical escort to participate in a treatment program in order to learn how to care for the patient following discharge. This written request must be approved by the deputy minister of Health and Social Services.
The practice has been to approve non-medical escorts for any senior requiring assistance, when requested by a physician.
A second non-medical escort is only provided in rare situations when prior approval has been obtained from the deputy minister of Health and Social Services.
In order to ensure that aboriginal cultures are respected, interpreter services are available for the patient through both Larga House and the Northern Health Nursing Services, and traditional foods are offered in regular meal planning at Larga House.
The Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of the Executive are currently undertaking a review of the Medical Travel Program. The review is intended to redesign the program’s clinical and administrative processes to bring them in line with the realities of the current health care delivery system in the Northwest Territories.
Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table a copy of the current Medical Travel Policy and a diagram outlining the authorization process for all medical travel. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.