Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 03/99) - Do-able solutions do not cost money.

That was the message members of the Minister's Forum on Health and Social Services put out to the 35 or so people who gathered in an Explorer Hotel conference room to talk about health care.

"There is money for new MLAs," called out Yellowknife Women's Centre advocate Arlene Hache as soon as the audience was asked for a response to a presentation.

"I don't ever want to let a forum go by with us all pretending that there is no money. It's like believing something that isn't true."

Fort Smith health-care worker and Union of Northern Workers vice-president Mo Johnston spoke up with specific examples of how in 1996, the GNWT cut wages as well as ended the accommodation allowance and the vacation travel allowance.

"I don't know if I have solutions that don't cost any money but I think we have to look at what was taken away in 1996," she said, urging the return of those benefits.

Safety was another prime concern with Johnston.

She said it can be dangerous for nurses to be called out in the middle of the night.

Even if there are two nurses at a community's health-care centre, it would not be practical cost-wise for both to attend a call, she said, so the one nurse might put herself in danger.

To this, former mayor Pat McMahon suggested nurses approach the issue with hamlet councils or bylaw officers to see if a solution could be worked out with them.

The forum members also stressed that all input is valued -- even that which is anonymous.

McMahon initially pressured the forum members to answer whether current Health and Social Services staff had been asked for their ideas on how to better service.

"Have their ideas already been tapped or are we to let our minds run free and then they will say we can't do it because 'this policy says this and that policy says that,'" McMahon said.

"If we haven't asked them already, I think we've missed the boat."