Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have that information. I can -- what I can provide is I can commit to finding out -- I believe it's the counsellor that goes in. But working with Indigenous governments over these last couple of years, there has been established positions within Indigenous governments so I would have to get back to the Member as to the actual communities and who to contact in those communities for case management. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask next questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services around virtual care. So I understand that for several years, small community health centres and hospitals have had technology to conduct virtual appointments, essentially Zoom for health care and big screens for video conferences, and there's also work happening here and there to test out specific new virtual tools. So my first question is around the recent purchase of virtual stethoscopes and otoscopes for use by community health workers in the health cabins.
What was the rationale for deciding that those particular pieces of equipment were the top priority for expanding virtual care? For example, are they proven to improve diagnoses or reduce the need of medical travel, etcetera. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our community health workers that work in our smallest communities, they aren't medically trained; therefore, the digital stethoscopes and otoscopes were chosen because they are simple to use, and these tools are a standard for basic primary care assessment and so the nurse that they're -- that will be hearing and seeing from the other end virtually is what they would need to be able to -- like, you know, to be able to diagnose what's going on with the patient or to help better virtually diagnose. And as I said that they're also working with -- yes, so those are the first kind of tools that we -- they're implemented now, just to get those community health workers used to it and used to working virtually right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the Minister spoke about primary care, but what virtual tools are available for community health workers if they have someone with an acute care issue, so if they have a patient in their trauma room with some sort of emergency issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the community health workers are also trained in first aid. They have been trained now in administering oxygen. They are trained in the use of the AED. Further emergency care, health care in cabins is -- required is coordinated with the community health nurse or the nurse practitioner that's either in the community or in another community at the time. The decisions for emergency care are made by the regional health centres and may include parent movement, so -- but this -- these virtual tools actually help a nurse that can visualize and then using those virtual other tools will be able to -- you know, to be able to give recommendations for that health care worker when there's oxygen needed or whether, you know, other measures that they're trained now to do to implement while they're awaiting for maybe emergency evacuation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Member from Yellowknife North. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to know, finally, overall what is the plan for developing a virtual care strategy to ensure that instead of sort of just here and there, we're introducing virtual tools in a methodical way based on what the highest priority needs are. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As of right now, I believe because we are doing the pilot in the smallest of our communities, there isn't a standalone virtual care strategy. There's multiple different pilots that are going on in regards to virtual care, but they -- the virtual care projects all go through an information system intake process to keep technology changes coordinated and intentional. Work is already underway to improving existing virtual tools like the Zoom and the health care as we -- when we did tour, we know that there are changes needed in some of our regions. And the AIscribe pilot is another example of trying new tools to improve patient experience and reduce burnout, and this is something that we heard from our physicians. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So earlier I asked about implementing the final report of the supported living review. The Minister says there's no money, the Minister's waiting for the health care sustainability unit. So let's ask the Minister responsible for the health care sustainability unit. Can the Premier tell me when will the health care sustainability unit release its recommendations to implement the outstanding recommendations in the supported living review final report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I think the question is when will the healthcare system sustainability unit release a report on supported living -- oh okay, I see what the Member's getting at.
So that's not something that's a -- you know, going to be a GNWT document that we table in the House and release. What that is, it's advice for Cabinet. It's looking at the system and looking at the functions, the costs, all those types of things, and it's going to come to Cabinet with recommendations as we look at how we're going to adjust our healthcare system, what we're going to do going forward, and I expect that I will have that bit of information in the near future. It's one of the first ones that is being completed. So thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I am glad the Premier's up to speed but near future isn't precise enough for the constituents who are raising these concerns. Can we get more clarity on when we can expect the resources to flow to implement these outstanding recommendations. It's the government's own report, Mr. Speaker, and I am not asking for a wish list here. This is what they committed to set out to do. So when is the near future under the Premier's assessment? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think there's some confusion here. There's a health and social services report. I am the Minister of the -- that was responsible for the health care systems sustainability unit. It is not responsible for that report. It does look at all of the different reports that the government has generated and all of the different information that it can gather to put together its recommendations, but I am not going to be responsible for implementing recommendations in a report by the department of health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. Well, I am not going to wind back Hansard, Mr. Speaker, but essentially the problem we find ourselves in is the Minister of health is saying we can't implement those recommendations until we get the advice of the sustainability unit on how we're going to fund it. So what I am asking is when is the advice -- it's not specific to this report, but I guess it's general to the entire system. But when is that advice coming? The Premier said near future. When is near future? Is it tomorrow? Is it next week? Is it the month after? When is near future? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All of those things that the Member mentioned are -- would be considered near future. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly hope the Minister of health will provide something to my last answer -- to the question I provided -- sorry, in her last answer because I wish to come back on the same general topic and with respect to speech and language pathology.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister was very clear that we don't have enough staff, the staff shortage. I understand that; I am a realist. But that said, when you have family members who are in trouble and need supports, can the Minister allow or support families who choose to get services in speech and language pathology locally or through Alberta and bill back to the government because we're clearly short of staff to meet that need. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time what we are doing is we are taking -- anybody who needs those services, they'll go through the referral process. And I know that there are some wait times. I believe that I can share those wait times with the Members on the different areas. But like I mentioned, that right now what we are focused on is ensuring that the money that we have allocated in the budget where there's positions and they are not being filled, myself and the Minister Cleveland are working on a plan, you know, that is going to be able to fill that need. And I believe that we're hoping to have something in front of us to be able to look at, you know, before -- I believe before June this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I will take whatever the Minister can provide, including that analysis I was asking about. Mr. Speaker, that said, Mr. Speaker, what is the department's strategy if there are no people to provide this particular service? Can the Minister broaden the particular support mechanism by allowing parents to access services privately, either locally or through Alberta? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said, that we do have those providers. They are triaged. They are in the territory. They are still providing services to families. The school also has services that they do provide to school-aged children and continue to do so. I know that -- and as I said that we are looking at ways to improve that through the work that we're doing together. But if there are families out there that -- you know, that need services, they just -- you know, they need to go through their practitioner. They can be referred, they can self-referral, and they can be triaged within our system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health system has young people timing out and not getting services and supports. Mr. Speaker, parents can only wait so long, and that's part of the issue, Mr. Speaker, the formative years of being lost.
So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister address the time waiting -- time system by making sure that there's clear guidelines that young people are supported within a certain amount of time and if not, they can seek them in Alberta or privately. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will take that back to my department. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question will be to the Minister of strategic infrastructure, including the long name that comes after that. No one seems to be able to remember it.
Mr. Speaker, knowing that we're moving forward on the Clean Design initiative in Fort Simpson, which I think is a fantastic problem being involved and confronted with real tangible guaranteeable solutions, Mr. Speaker, does the Minister intend to expand this potential solution to other areas, such as Yellowknife and other large communities and regions, such as maybe Inuvik and Hay River. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the big reason that there is a pilot running in the community of Fort Simpson is, in fact, to confirm whether or not the fairly significant infrastructure costs associated with this particular battery optimization system will be offset by savings in diesel fuel. If that is the case and if that can therefore offset those costs, then we may well see that this is an opportunity for us in other communities. Thank you.
That's quite a title, hey. Mr. Speaker, the question is, next is what is this pilot initiative going to cost this government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've structured the pilot process such that it won't bring costs on the ratepayers right now and that we're going to be -- that's exactly is, again, back to why it's a pilot. It's being run as a pilot in a way that if there's not enough savings to pay for it, then we would not be on the hook for anything extra, meaning that it's not going to be on the backs of ratepayers. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my last question is really built around the cost. Is the Minister able to give us a sense of how much it's costing and where the money's coming from because it's -- if it's -- it's not free and it's not costing the ratepayers, it must be costing somewhere -- coming from somewhere, and as such we must have a general idea how much this is going to cost. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly some of the details that are still being worked out. I don't want to misspeak in that this is still a private company and they have a number of contracts elsewhere, so I don't want to speak out of turn. But, again, the point here was one where we would pilot this in a way that if there are sufficient cost savings and that can help offset those costs, and if there's not then this may be a pilot that doesn't go much farther. Again, the company's very confident in their technology, and that gives us the confidence to be able to move forward and hopefully then to see positive results. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, prenatal, birthing, and postpartum care represent essential health services, yet the costs associated with delivering these services in the Northwest Territories are not clearly understood.
My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services:
What is the average cost per appointment for prenatal care in the Northwest Territories?
What is the average total cost of prenatal care per person throughout a pregnancy, and what specific services or line items are included in this calculation?
What is the cost per day for a patient's admission to the hospital for birthing and postpartum care?
What is the average length of stay in hospital for birthing and postpartum care?
What is the average cost of postpartum visits per person following discharge from the hospital?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Plain Language Summary for Bill 40, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act; and, the Statement of Consistency for Bill 40, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Tabling of documents. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and Minister responsible for WSCC.
