Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d just like to reiterate comments made by our fellow Members here at the table in regard to the contribution funding to the department of the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority.
I did attend their AGM this past spring, or this winter here, and they did mention that it is something that’s recurring. As much as we have pressures and stresses put on Members and this government to look for funding and try to find funding to offset the deficit that this department goes through and these authorities go through, we also have to look at that we don’t only represent the patients, the clients, the people that are being affected by this, but we’re also representing the staff in these authorities who are given these pressures and stressors to try to find money to cut from their departments and find ways to offset this deficit.
I think we know what’s wrong and it’s something that’s been discussed. At our last Beaufort-Delta leadership meeting our Minister of Health and Social Services heard it. He heard it from not only our leaders in Inuvik, but he heard it from our leaders in Tsiigehtchic, Aklavik, Fort McPherson; you know, the communities on the coast. I think our next plan of action is to take those suggestions and put them into place, looking at our physicians. There’s a lot of money that goes into all the locums that go up there that do contribute to the deficit as well as the board structure. We need better input from our community leaders rather than decisions made in this House. The people that are there in the front lines and working in that authority, the ones that are getting stressed out because of the
financial drawbacks that they are facing. It does become a money issue, but we also have to make sure that we’re not exhausting our staff and putting undue pressure on them, so that they can go out and do their jobs and provide the services that are needed. As the Minister stated, it does provide acute care services in that region and outside of Yellowknife it does provide a lot to not only the Beaufort-Delta region but also to the Sahtu. I mean, there are a lot more people in the territory that go through that authority rather than just the Beaufort-Delta, and that needs to be looked at as well.
It is a deficit that we’ve seen for the past few years, and as much as the deficit does affect the programs, it also has a strong effect on the staff there. I know that the Minister did get a lot of recommendations from our last Beaufort-Delta leadership meeting and I think those need to be addressed with this government so that next year we’re not looking at those. Or that we make the appropriate budget item changes in the new fiscal year so that we’re not looking at this again, and that other authorities who are in surpluses can use those monies for their programs, and that we’re looking at the patterns that the Beaufort-Delta authority is going through and adjust those while we can.
I think there’s some good discussion around here today, and I think we all know that the next steps are to find solutions to those, not only in this House but with our leaders in the communities. Thank you.