Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on my Member's statement where I am suggesting that we need pathways or navigator people to work with the medical travel system because people often, I find, are overwhelmed by the process and whether they understand it fully or not, they're under the fog of stress of the challenge before them, Mr. Speaker. And I am going to say, as an example -- it's not a real person, but I am going to -- the name that is, but it's a real circumstance is, you know, Yvette got approval for her medical travel to book her own travel arrangements, but when she did the follow-ups she was told no. And it only seems fair that the subsequent journey is supported.
Mr. Speaker, is there a way that the Minister can create or develop or redistribute resources to ensure that patients get the navigation and support during the medical travel process so they know they have to keep going back for approvals thereafter? Because they were quite upset the second and third time on the same journey they were denied. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the scenario but without -- and I wouldn't speak to details on any personal medical travel on any individual. But every medical travel case that goes through medical travel, you know, it depends on what insurance that covers them that's covered for them. It depends on the point of nearest facility available. It depends on, you know -- the follow-up appointments can be -- every single time there's a travel, it has to be initiated with a new medical travel process. So, I mean, I appreciate the Member trying to create a scenario but whenever we deal with medical travel or any BFs, it's every single -- it's a complex system and so I wouldn't be able to respond to just that. However, we have put navigators throughout the system over the years, like the cancer navigators that really help with patients that are travelling for cancer issues. We have recently approved the case managers for medical travel that are going to be overseeing, making sure people are travelling when they need to travel. And then we also have the client of office experience and the medical travel office themselves and the staff there themselves, so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, we have to take the context here. Yvette's not the real name, but it's personalized because it's true to real people, and I've even talked to some of my colleagues who've had similar examples.
Yvette goes for her treatment and told you can book your same -- your travel and make arrangements, but she goes back for the follow-up for the exact same process and under the fog, whether she was told or not, it doesn't matter, but natural justice would think it's supported. So, Mr. Speaker, that's why I am asking for, would a navigator keep checking in with these people.
Mr. Speaker, is there anything the Minister can do to, A, correct the situation I am describing; and, B, move forward in a more positive supportive way.
Mr. Speaker, that is why we initiated the medical travel case manager pilot so that they can make sure that the process and people are travelling and whatever paperwork and processes are needed to be done are getting done. And as anyone -- as medical travel is initiated, it has to be pre-approved for travel and so if they were approved for the first travel, the second travel still has to be pre-approved. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Final supplementary. Member from the Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And under the fog of stress and focus, that's the problem, is those messages get lost and the relationship is important so, Mr. Speaker, I reaffirm once again the same point which is, is there any way to revisit this challenge? Looking back as well as looking forward, today we could do something for a family that feels very stressed. And I am not representing the only family who's gone through this experience. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, we have implemented the -- you know, the nurse case managers for medical travel in -- as a pilot right now because we know that there is an issue. And so that is what we have initiated to try and -- try to resolve some of these issues. And once this is rolled out, we'll be able to assess that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
