Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health care sustainability unit has determined that we pay just about double for health care in the Northwest Territories. Health care funding is a quarter of our budget and the deficit is expected to be $350 million, which is consistent with deficits that have been climbing over the years. That's why we have the unit. The question is, what is the public administrator doing to curb this deficit, to bring sustainability to the unit. We know how much it costs now. What is he doing to bring those costs down? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a lot of work that is going on. The public administrator over this past year has, one of the most important things is that he had to go out and he had to attend and hear from the regional wellness councils. He attended all of the regions. We highlighted some of the areas where we've seen he's been working alongside with the NWT Medical Association. There is an ongoing process that's going on right now. The last budget that they tabled actually decreased, I think it was $20 million out of the current -- it would have been a deficit. And throughout the year, they're continuing on trying to find resources within, they're trying to streamline, they're working with the health sustainability unit, they're working with the department to try and do some of those things. They're looking at right now -- they're presenting me with looking at different org structures. We're looking at the governance model. So these are the things that we're -- these are all pieces that are kind of all going on all at once. So there is a lot of work going on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the largest cost driver for these deficits is the medical travel system. I've been told by constituents that they're being scheduled on multiple trips for procedures that could be grouped together into one trip; so you could have all four done instead of being spread out. And what they're being told is well, people like it this way. So are we letting the personal preference of medical travel clients dictate our spending efficiencies, or are we actually applying some policy here to make sure we're providing the most cost effective use of taxpayer dollars? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the medical travel policy, as it stands right now, there is, you know, I too have heard of that. I've followed up with the department. What is happening within the department is physicians order, they book the appointment. Not all the time are those -- they're going to different facilities within Alberta Health Services when they're leaving or they're coming to the -- from the smaller communities into the capital at different periods of time. And when the person that's booking the travel, they get the piece, they don't know what they're traveling for, they just know they're traveling, they book it. I have followed up on that comment because it did come to my attention. I haven't had a response back but my understanding is that is not the policy, that is not allowed. It is based on the need of the medical travel. What we have, we are looking at is more looking at streamlining that, and there is work going on within the health authority right now to create that streamlining of appointments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of a complaint that I received, the patient actually pushed back and said please book it all at once so I don't have to do four trips. They didn't want this. So will the Minister commit today to end this waste that's going on in the system and ensure that we streamline appointments so they're all happening at the same time; will she commit to fix that in the medical travel policy today? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I have given that direction. I will reinforce that direction back to NTHSSA. I also have, you know, and I mean I'm going to say that on the other side of it, it is sometimes we try to streamline them. Patients, you know, there are certain things that they need to be seen sooner and another appointment can't be. We will make those accommodations but that is not the norm. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.
