Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in speaking about medical travel, especially around exemption policies, because we can't have a one-size-fits-all policy obviously but oftentimes concerns are supported by doctors, supported by medical personnel and we're told, time and time again, policy says no. So my question is does the Minister of Health and Social Services have the authority to approve exceptions for medical travel policies, yes or no?
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, within my authority I have the ability to approve, but where I use the expertise of the medical advisor and the processes that we have to advise me on the recommendations, and then I make a decision based on that if it ever came to me. But, however, within this process, the majority of the exceptions that come to my office are not within the medical travel policy. They are usually when it comes to air ambulance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. I am going to take that as a yes. But what is the point of an exception policy if the Minister isn't making exceptions to the policy? What is the point of this whole process if the answer's always going to be no, Mr. Speaker? Because constituents who go to the Minister expect help; they don't expect to be told no. That's why they're asking for an exception to the policies in the first place, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister, you know, my role is to ensure that when these concerns are coming up that I am able to bring forward, through our processes, through our business planning process, the evidence and the data when spending and when asking this House to spend public dollars and that is the process that I have to go through. When it comes to exceptions, right now the policy we have is for medical travel for scheduled appointments. There is no escort policy for medivacs or ground ambulance or air ambulance, and that is why within the medical travel modernization process, that is where we are going to be working on once we figure out the whole processes where people are travelling. We're trying to ensure that we're finding the money that's being spent on travel that probably could be saved and we can use that funding. Otherwise, you know, we would have to look internally and start to look at money that's within the NTHSSA and reallocate that from things that are also important to residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am all for efficiencies within the medical travel system, and there are a lot of baseline approval processes that don't have anything to do with medical travel exceptions that are costly, bloated, and inefficient. What we're talking about is people who need help when the system has failed them; they're falling through the cracks. Will the Minister do the right thing and approve the exceptions that are brought forward by our offices, supported by doctors' evidence, supported by the medical system; do the right thing and help these people because they need it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the patient needs access to healthcare, our system does get them to wherever the nearest service place is. It's when there's an exception process for an escort. That is usually the process that we use, and we have to use our policies as I mentioned. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
