Just going back to the first part of the comment before the question, the $4.3 million estimate was based on the numbers obtained from the NWT Bureau of Statistics by the Supplementary Health Benefits Working Group in
2010, and it’s been updated for new information. But $4.3 million is the estimate, which, as a note, is a significant amount of money in these fiscally challenging times. I do believe, and I think many Members believe, that this is an area that needs some work, and I would like to see that work done, which is why I’d like to make it a priority for the transition document.
With respect to the air ambulance, the providers actually have higher end aircraft that can get into the short runways throughout the Northwest Territories. We have expedited the turnaround time or, rather, the contractors have expedited the turnaround time to some of the smaller communities to two hours from four hours. The current 23-year-old aircrafts will be replaced with four newer ones, more advanced aircraft, all enhanced with dual stretchers so that they can carry more people for increased system efficiencies, improved avionics and systems such as enhanced vision systems that allow pilots to see more clearly in adverse weather conditions such as fog, which is hopefully going to help us reduce those times, and there’s new medical equipment on these airplanes from the old medical equipment that was on them that was getting dated. Significant enhancements in the aircraft as well as the technology on those planes to ensure quicker turnaround for our residents in some of our smaller communities.
I will say also through the Med-Response program, we have actually started to see some sharing of services. The Med-Response, the airplanes are actually able to pick up other people on return flights and actually maximize some of their flight times and get some efficiencies by recognizing that there are other things happening in the territory at the same time. I have some details that I’ll be able to share with committee when we go live with the Med-Response program.