Mr. Speaker, I have a return to Written Question 19-16(5) asked by Mr. Bromley on February 10, 2011, to the Honourable Sandy Lee, Minister of Health and Social Services, regarding obstetrical and midwifery care.

While the average length of out-of-community stay varies, most women will spend between four and five weeks away from home if they travel to Yellowknife or Inuvik to deliver their baby. The majority of pre and post-natal care is provided by their local health care provider. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table Number of Hospital Discharges of New Mothers In and Outside of the NWT.

The Department of Health and Social Services cannot accurately estimate the average cost of care and travel for mothers who deliver at home under the care of a midwife versus those that travel to Inuvik or Yellowknife for delivery in a hospital.

Fort Smith is the only community offering home births. Very few women choose the home birth option. Of the 42 births in 2009-2010 there was only one home delivery and none so far for 2010-2011.

While midwives in Fort Smith provide all pre and post-natal care to all pregnant women, they only deliver about 50 percent of the babies. The other approximately 50 percent choose to travel to Yellowknife or another health facility out of territory to deliver and as a result would still incur travel costs.

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to Written Question 20-16(5) asked by Mr. Abernethy on February 10, 2011, to the Honourable Sandy Lee, Minister of

Health and Social Services, regarding births in the Northwest Territories from 2007 to 2011.

While the average length of out-of-community stay varies, most women will spend between four and five weeks away from home if they travel to Yellowknife or Inuvik to deliver their baby. The majority of pre and post-natal care is provided by their local health care provider. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table Number of Hospital Discharges of New Mothers In and Outside of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I have a provisional return to Written Question 21-16(5) asked by Mr. Ramsay on February 10, 2011, to the Honourable Sandy Lee, Minister of Health and Social Services, regarding locum and agency nurses employed by the Department of Health and Social Services.

The request requires a significant undertaking to compile. The Department of Health and Social Services is working with the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to gather this information. It will be provided by May 11, 2011.

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to Written Question 22-16(5) asked by Mr. Abernethy on February 10, 2011, to the Honourable Sandy Lee, Minister of Health and Social Services, regarding the statics on admissions and graduation rates for the Aurora College Nursing Program.

As requested, the Aurora College Nursing Program statistics on admission and graduation rates from 1999 to the present have been provided. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table Program Enrolments and Graduates for All Nursing Programs Between 1998 to 2011 for a breakdown of enrolment and graduation rates by year and program.

Students have the option to identify their ethnicity on the Aurora College student application form. Consequently, the number in the category of non-Aboriginal students is difficult to disaggregate as it reflects both students who reported as “other,” as well as those who chose not to report their ethnicity.

For the Nursing Diploma and Degree programs, a total of seven part-time and 534 full-time students were enrolled between 2006 and 2011, of which 215 were Aboriginal -- one part time and 214 full time; and 326 non-Aboriginal -- six part time and

320 full time. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table Bachelor of Science in Nursing Enrolments by Ethnicity and Year 2006 to 2011 for a further breakdown of enrolment and graduation rates by year and program. Due to limitations of the Aurora College student records system, information on the ethnicity for the graduates of these nursing programs is currently not available.

For Introduction to Advanced Practice course a total of 299 part-time students were enrolled between 1999 and 2011, of which 15 were Aboriginal and 284 non-Aboriginal. A total of 287 students completed this course between 1999 and 2011, of which five were Aboriginal and 282 non-Aboriginal.

For Community Health Representative Program, a total of 79 students were enrolled from the time the program started in 2003 to 2011, of which 63 were Aboriginal and 16 non-Aboriginal. A total of 78 students completed this program between 2003 and 2011, of which 63 were Aboriginal and 15 were non-Aboriginal.

For the Masters of Science in Nursing, Nurse Practitioner Stream (Masters), a total of 19 students have enrolled since the program started in January 2009, of which one full-time student is Aboriginal and six full-time and 12 part-time students are non-Aboriginal.

Additional information on the Nurse Practitioner Diploma Program from 2000 to 2009 is being sought and will be provided to the Members once it becomes available.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.