Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, generally, clients who are in the care of medical escorts are not provided with -- or sorry, with medical escorts are not provided with nonmedical escorts. So that would be in the instances if somebody is medevaced. Air ambulance and emergency services are excluded under the NWT medical travel Policy. But the department is aware that -- and does acknowledge that there is an emergency service policy that could include escort criteria. Again, as I've just obtained this department and I know we're going to go through a fulsome review of our medical travel and how we move people around, you know, we know that this is another gap in the area; however, when we are moving patients -- like, the escort policy, the nonmedical escort policy, does not pertain to when someone is medevaced unless that person is a minor and falls under the criteria that it is -- although there is exceptional circumstances under our medical travel policy that go to the department for an exception request. But the NIHB does -- this is the quirk that I found out, and so it causes an imbalance and inequity in how services are provided. NIHB beneficiaries may receive a nonmedical escort supported when this kind of situation happens, but those each are approved through the northern region office right through directly through NIHB. So that's separate from the Northwest Territories medical travel policy. And I know when we say medical travel policy, everybody thinks that's just one area. But even my 15 years, 18 years, even as an NIHB navigator, becoming the Minister and trying to get the fulsome picture of this has been piece by piece and so this was a new thing that I kind of realized today. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Lesa Semmler on Question 214-20(1): Medical Travel Policy
In the Legislative Assembly on May 29th, 2024. See this statement in context.
Question 214-20(1): Medical Travel Policy
Oral Questions
May 29th, 2024
Page 555
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