Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a report from their internal division to their executive as they are through the authority. So this report is actually going to -- once they get it to the executive, the NTHSSA, then that's where they will define on where and what their implementation plan is. I haven't seen the implementation. I haven't seen what they're accepting and not accepting or what they're going to continue to work on or where they may need more information. That's usually how those types of plans come. I haven't seen it yet, so I can't speak to any of that yet. However...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I have read the report, and I have -- I actually met with Indigenous patient advocates before the report came out and which was -- we had a -- we spent almost half a day together, and we talked about their -- what they have in their job as tools and what they're hearing from and how can they move these things forward, and this was part of their way of moving forward some of the words of the residents in the Northwest Territories that are going through their system. And so I think it's a good report that it highlights everything that anybody in this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is waitlists, and within the callback or the online, it is active right now. And from my understanding, any time that there is a gap or an opening or a physician or any of the health providers, it is filled with those lists that they have currently. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member has said, that the health authority has a history of doing that process but not being able to do it in a way where we need to ensure that it's done in the proper process, and that is what we are doing right now. We are ensuring that the proper process is being followed and that we are going to look at the correct amount of staff to staff -- to look at what the staffing needs is for the Stanton Territorial Hospital to support. As the Stanton Territorial Hospital supports the rest of the territory, we need to make sure that when we do go forward...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we encourage all residents in the Northwest Territories to call 8-1-1 for non-emergent questions on their health or their family's health, and we encourage all Northwest Territories residents to call 9-1-1 first before calling, you know, the health centre. Health centres are generally used when -- and that was -- but the thing is, is the change. The change management in small communities is this has been the model for so long and that's where they're so used to calling that they don't call 8-1-1 and they don't call 9-1-1; they call the health centre. And so...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have the exact details of the overall wait times or anything. But what I do know is that the amount of staff that's allocated through our budgeting process is full, and they have been increasing the amount -- like, the amounts of referrals for blood work have been increasing and therefore there is work to be looking on -- you know, I mean, through our business process on this area as a prioritized area for access to care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for this question. You know, I know that right now Fort Good Hope, the physician model is currently being under evaluation now. The pilot has been ongoing. And when I was into the community and I even met with the physician that was the lead on that, they are hopefully to have the review completed by April 2026, and that work is actually going to be helping us to form, you know, when we do our -- with our model of care for small communities. As I said, improving the model of care in our small communities is and always the priority. And so as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That would be part of this work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will bring this back. And I know that we do have -- we do track the stats, and we do know what we send out. We do actually know what it costs us to send this out. So what I can do is I can get that information, and I can share it with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, as this is brought up in the House, I will bring this back to NTHSSA and follow up as to how things are going in the lab and the walk-in clinic there, and if there's improvements that -- what recommendations that -- you know, what do they -- you know, to be able to carry out some of these things. However, at this time, there's not many things that I can say on the floor of this House, that I'd have to go back to NTHSSA as that falls under their authority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.