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MLA wants funds for nurse practitioners Angele Cano Northern News Services Published Monday, February 27, 2012
Hay River North MLA Robert Bouchard said after speaking to the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, he discovered that there is a funding barrier which restricts the personnel the authority can hire. "There is a budget for doctors, but it doesn't allow them to hire additional nurse practitioners and additional professionals in the community because the dollars are allocated for doctors," said Bouchard. "Why is this barrier in place?" Bouchard said the concern for Hay River is consistency of health care and locum doctors are becoming harder to come by. "It is hard for a new person to come in and just be able to see how you are feeling that day," he said. "They would have to go and read your bio where as someone who is there, like a full-time nurse practitioner, knows the basics of your ailments." Bouchard indicated that this was something brought up previously to the Health minister. Because nothing had come of the discussions, he raised the issue again in the legislative assembly on Feb. 10. He remains hopeful from the reception his statement made on the minister. "The minister indicated he would look at opening up the funding to allow for hiring more staff since we are in a doctor shortage," said Bouchard. "I am hoping over the next month or two something changes so we can use a little more of that funding." Tom Beaulieu, territorial minister of Health, said that $2.3 million is allocated in the Health and Social Services budget for seven physician positions. "The reason funding is restricted is because that is how it was approved," said Beaulieu. He said that the government will be looking at an overall physician recruitment strategy to improve Hay River's health care. "We've looked at that and we are going to continue to look at that," said Beaulieu, adding the government is prepared to be creative and find alternatives. The minister said two nurse practitioners could, in theory, be hired to compensate for the lack of a permanent doctor because nurse practitioners are still able to order tests, prescribe medications and serve as a patient's primary healthcare provider. "A lot of that type of work can be done by an NP," he said. The government will be looking at ways to improve health care in Hay River, he said, whether hiring doctors who will live in Hay River or bringing more to Yellowknife to increase the Northern locum pool. "Our main objective would be to hire permanent doctors," he said. "We are trying to figure out how we can hire a group of doctors at once. It is easier to hire the fifth, sixth and seventh doctor than it is to hire the first, second and third."
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