Mr. Speaker, I’m certainly going to have to follow up with the department to ask some additional questions and get some more information for the Member. The BiliBlankets offer the possibility to treat some degrees of jaundice at home for otherwise healthy babies. I acknowledge that there are some advantages here, but there are other methods of treatment as well.
In the Northwest Territories, unlike the rest of the country where the statistical prevalence of this particular condition is about 50 percent in babies, in the Northwest Territories, fortunately our statistics are significantly lower. In 2007-08 it was about 7 percent of babies. It has gone up a little bit, so that for 2011-12 it is about 13 percent of babies.
I acknowledge that there is certainly an opportunity here. I am certainly willing to have additional conversation with the Member. If there are opportunities for cost savings for those babies who the BiliBlanket will work for, I’m certainly willing to explore that with the authorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.