Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad that the Minister of Health and Social Services travelled to Fort Simpson and we hosted a public meeting on the future of the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority. I’m also pleased to see that the public administrator, Mr. Jim Antoine, of the Dehcho Health and Social Services, is making efforts to go to the communities to explain where the health board is going.
As they heard, I’m sure, community and residents are still very concerned about potential changes to the structure of the Dehcho Health and Social Services. The Minister and the Department of Health and Social Services are contemplating administrative changes since the health board was not appointed in March of last year. Communities and regions want more autonomy, not less. With the new potential streamlining of our boards, I remain cautiously optimistic, as I do not want my constituency to lose jobs.
I do support sharing of health professionals and leveraging of bulk purchases by all health authorities. I’m also pleased that they heard it is important that we need to restore community involvement in policy and delivery of health in our small, remote communities through some type of regional council.
Residents are also very concerned about medical travel and the apparent wastage. They’re pleased to see that there’s a plan to review it. When you do, I suggest you allow as much public input as you can. Our residents are the ones that are most impacted by medical travel and will have the best suggestions. For instance, in small communities medical escorts are often the same person and unemployed and have the time to travel, but they do not receive any stipend at all and find themselves in Yellowknife or Edmonton with little or no money for long periods of time.
Getting back the future of the Dehcho Health and Social Services, the Department of Health and Social Services cannot take all the responsibility away from my communities.
Later today I will be asking the Minister of Health questions on this initiative. Mahsi.
