Checks on delivery
Mr. Speaker, the costs of providing health care and social services are increasing faster than our nation’s resources can handle, and our government faces additional costs related to climate change and inflationary pressures. This is why the provision of sustainable health and social services is an important part of the government’s mission and a priority of the 20th Legislative Assembly.
Through the mandate that I submitted to the Minister of Health and Social Services, we are undertaking several initiatives aimed at achieving a more sustainable health and social services system. This effort is complex and multifaceted, and should not be undertaken by the Department of Health and Human Services or any health and social services authority alone.
As a result, Mr. Speaker, on 15 July, the Health Systems Sustainability Unit was created within the Ministry of Public Administration and Indigenous Affairs. The focus of this unit is to better understand which health and social services programs and services should be the “core” of the NWT, analyze how these programs and services can be delivered more efficiently, and It’s about determining what programs and services should look like. It is funded within a limited financial framework. The goal is to achieve all of this while striving to provide the highest quality of care to our residents.
This work requires careful coordination with the Department of Health and Social Services and the three health authorities. It will also involve analyzing a lot of information, including information from reviews that have already been conducted, and engaging with those who contribute most to our systems: front-line employees and operational staff.
Previous reviews of the health and social services system have been fundamental to guide operational changes based on current service provision, but have not considered whether these services are the basis of what the health system should provide. It was not done.
If you anticipate transformative change, Mr. Chairman, use assessment data such as current population and demographics, legal and policy frameworks, and technological advances to identify the Northwest Territories’ core programs and services. must be defined and prioritized. We can no longer continue to expand health and social services to meet growing needs. Instead, we need to transform the way we deliver health and social services in a financially sustainable way.
This work will allow us to proactively address these challenges in real time and consider recommendations that can be implemented more quickly than others. We will involve people affected by change in the work of understanding challenges and identifying solutions, and ensure that our work builds on Northern expertise, lived experience and smart new practice in the field. We guarantee that you are. This ensures that any changes take into account our own financial, political and legal factors.
The work will be rewarding. I look forward to working closely with the Minister of Health and Human Services and providing regular updates on progress to the Hon. .
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
