| MPP
Arnott Asks Minister When Additional Nurse Practitioners
will be Providing Health Care Services in Waterloo-Wellington
Waterloo-Wellington
MPP Ted Arnott raised a question with the Minister of
Health and Long Term Care about plans to increase the
number of nurse practitioners locally. The following
is the Hansard record of that debate which took place
during Question Period in the Ontario Legislature on
November 4, 2002:
Mr
Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): My question is for
the Minister of Health. Since this government was elected
in 1995, we have made health care a top priority. This
year, the provincial government will spend over $25
billion on health care. This represents 47% of Ontario's
total budget for this fiscal year. This is an all-time
high. The government, since 1995, has increased spending
on health care by 45%, or almost $8 billion.
One
of the many provincial government initiatives on health
care involves primary care reform, specifically supported
by nurse practitioners. In Waterloo-Wellington, there
is great interest in bringing nurse practitioners to
our communities. Can the minister update my constituents
and this House about the nurse practitioner program
in Ontario?
Hon
Tony Clement (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care):
My honourable colleague is right: the nurse practitioner
program is one of many initiatives that the Ernie Eves
government is introducing to ensure that Ontario has
timely access to universal and publicly funded health
care. This year, our government has pledged $11 million
for up to 117 new nurse practitioner positions in the
province.
I'd
like to take this opportunity to dispel some of the
myths about nurse practitioners. Many people hear the
term "nurse practitioner" and simply think
of a registered nurse, and yet a nurse practitioner
is more than that.
They
have been trained to take on additional responsibilities.
They are one step closer to being a general practitioner
in the medical sense. For example, you can go to a nurse
practitioner and get an annual physical examination.
If you're concerned about a lump or other abnormality,
a nurse practitioner can order a mammogram without having
to wait for an appointment with a GP.
We
have listened to Ontarians. Primary care reform is the
top priority for them and it is for us as well.
Mr
Arnott: I've taken a great personal interest in the
nurse practitioner program in our province. I know that
my constituents in Waterloo-Wellington will benefit
significantly from their services.
I'm
aware that the Ministry of Health recently announced
the commencement of the nurse practitioner application
process. I was very encouraged to learn that there are
plans to bring nurse practitioners to my constituency
of Waterloo-Wellington. Could the minister inform the
House about how many nurse practitioners the communities
of Wellington and Waterloo are eligible to receive?
Second, could the minister indicate a timeframe as to
when we will have these nurse practitioners in place,
serving the health care needs of the residents of Waterloo-Wellington?
Hon
Mr Clement: This year, 31 communities are eligible to
apply for nurse practitioners. I am delighted to inform
my colleague for Waterloo-Wellington that the Waterloo
region will be eligible to receive up to 11 new nurse
practitioners, while Wellington county will be eligible
to receive up to seven new NPs. The deadline for submissions
is December 13. The ministry will review each application,
and decisions will be announced next January.
I
would like to add that many of the nurse practitioners,
including those in Waterloo-Wellington, could begin
serving their communities very shortly after their applications
have been approved. Applications are found on the Ministry
of Health's Web site and can be submitted -- actually,
HealthyOntario.com is the best place to receive this
information. Certainly we are also interested in submissions
by interested groups within the 31 communities.
We
are there for nurse practitioners and we are there for
the people of Ontario.
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