Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to make sure. I was just looking at health services programs, and I understand it’s a bit of a challenge here in some particular regions where they qualify for doctors under their health portfolio
of funding, and in some cases they’re unable to hire physicians. There has been a logjam on the policies. I understand it’s some method, and I’m just trying to hash it out here. It may take a bit of work to get to the bottom of it.
As I understand it, if you have doctor money, it’s meant to be spent for doctors, but in some cases they can staff positions in some of the regional health authorities, and so that money sits empty and not expended for the appropriate need. There’s always been discussion about, for example, being able to change the formula of doctor money and maybe, for example, use it and allocate it to nurse practitioners.
What type of flexibility does the Minister or Minister’s team see in that policy shift; whereas if we bracketed it and said if you’re unable to hire a physician, which obviously is our first choice in certain circumstances, are we able to transfer it to NP only to ensure that people don’t turn around – when I say people, I mean authorities – and buy a pickup truck with the type of money? Again, health services for qualified health services that are in a similar manner but obviously not equal. What does the Minister think about that typical policy and has he seen any problems with it under that concept? Thank you.