Lesa Semmler

Yes, I would encourage -- like I said, there is -- it is a set dollar in the budget, and it is now open for first come first serve. So that's why I'm saying, like, I encourage people to reach out to -- if they want to run on-the-land programs and they want to do these types of things in their communities, speak with their Indigenous governments in their communities so that they can access -- work with our department to access those dollars and do their -- you know, I think they're proposal-based, but there's a set amount per community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a nationwide shortage of these professionals as well and us, as well as every other jurisdiction, is struggling to compete for this small pool of professionals to fill these positions. But NTHSSA is working with human resources to explore additional recruitment and retention options. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have vacancies in Hay River and Fort Smith. You know, when we look at midwifery and if we're looking at expanding those students, I mean there's jobs throughout the territory that are not always in Yellowknife and they're not always in Inuvik and they're not always in Hay River. And if those are the two areas that we want to train in, sometimes we have to go and move to where those are. And midwifery -- you know, when I look at midwifery, I do support midwifery because I do support it to be there in those communities that don't have any birthing services. So...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have one.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, all of the above. I think the way that it's supposed to -- I guess the intent of that program is is that the Indigenous governments will support the workers that work there. Housing will -- you know, there will be a housing building or Infrastructure will maintain it, and we will provide services as needed as, you know, required by -- through our partnership with that Indigenous that will be running the program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, just to the first part of the Member's question is x-ray machines maintained. All the x-ray machines are maintained by our biomed and they are -- like, they're all maintained in the communities.

And to the next question, the on-the-land program, health is not running those types of programs. What the Indigenous governments have told us is that to make the funds available and more flexible for them, and so that's where the community wellness and addiction recovery fund it. And so that's where Indigenous governments from the communities can apply to access...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since 2020, I think that is when we started using agency nurses, I don't have the number of the contracts and that's the level of detail that is. What we are doing is we're using nurses where they're not going to shut down services. And, you know, I hear that the Member this is something that, you know, he's raised many times in this House but then when you go out to the small communities and they're shut down and the services are we can't find a nurse, you know, those are the communities that, you know, may have to utilize a nurse. And so we can...

Mr. Speaker, I will say that I want the entire how we move patients in the Northwest Territories is what the focus I want to look at. How we move them, who's moving, what are the things that we cannot have to move people for. Is there ways that we can put things into communities that it's going to be less expensive in the long run. It's more of a fulsome review of how we move people for medical in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to I have answered that but what I'm going to say, it is not a specific instance. I have since Minister, five months, I have received numerous and numerous and thousands and thousands of dollars that people have spent on, you know like, myself, if I had to fly out if my child was sick or my motherinlaw was sick or my you know, my family member was sick and I had to jump on a plane and go and be with them, you know, I would be outofpocket as well. But I do get these BFs constantly and so this like I said, I am looking at it. I know that there is an area...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within our medical travel policy, it, you know and I'm not sure if I mentioned it in this House before but there are many streams in our medical travel policy. There are the NIHB clients who fall under the NIHB rules. There are the Metis benefits. There are extended health client benefits clients that all fall those ones fall under the GNWT medical travel policy.

When it comes to regards to escorts, Mr. Speaker, there are certain criteria in the escort policy that must be you know, that the person whoever's travelling, if it is an elder, as the Member...