Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to bring up concerns about medical travel. Since being elected, I have had many complaints, not just from my constituents, but other constituents in my region. Here are just a couple of common concerns.
Elders are being sent to Inuvik, Yellowknife, or Edmonton from regional or small communities without escorts. This is unacceptable. I consider myself knowledgeable in the medical system, but I, too, have experienced some anxiety and stress, missed appointments, and even missed a surgery for my own child when I arrived at the hospital in Edmonton, trying to locate a desk, and then get someone to look at my papers that they sent me with. I could not imagine an elder arriving there after the boarding home driver drops them off, as the boarding home is considered their escort. Some of these hospitals are larger than some of our smaller communities. GNWT needs to make this change.
I have heard from families that their family member went to appointments, returned without knowing what happened, don't know what was said, never asked any questions. When they tried to help the family member get information, they were told by the health centre or hospital, "It's confidential. We can't tell them." This is unacceptable and should not be happening in this day and age. They should not have to go to their MLA to raise the issue so they can get escorts. This has been an ongoing issue for as long as I can remember, and it is time to do something.
Another concern is residents being sent to the boarding home in Yellowknife and being placed in the hotel. The constituents who I've heard from have been placed in the hotel. They have no restaurant there, and the food they received was unacceptable. They are left hungry and with no choice, even if they are allergic to the food that is sent. If they are not in the boarding home, then why are they not making arrangements to have them in a hotel with a restaurant and have vouchers to the restaurant for at least three meals a day? May I add that there have also been elders put into these hotels who had no escorts, and this is unacceptable.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to point out that these are mainly Indigenous people in the NWT. If they were scheduled for surgery, it would be cancelled because you cannot be put in a hotel and left alone after 24 hours after surgery, so what happens when the boarding home is full when you get there and the room is booked? Nothing. You get sent home and rebooked. Is this the best value for our money and our patients' health? Surgery patients should be given escorts, as a boarding home is not responsible and they are not going to help them clean their bandage if bleeding or care for them. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
