Families in a northern Manitoba native community will have the special medical needs costs for their children covered while governments work out the details, says Health Minister Tony Clement.

"Services will not in any way be compromised," he told CTV Newsnet on Sunday in an exclusive telephone interview from Halifax.

"We are in the midst of final discussions with the government of Manitoba, but regardless of how those discussions go ... we will make sure the funds are there and the services should not be interrupted."

The Norway House Cree Nation has told the families of children with special needs that they may be forced to give up their children because the First Nation can no longer pay for their care, and federal and provincial governments can't agree on who should pay.

Crystal Hart told CTV News on Friday that the situation meant she may have to say good-bye to her daughter, Priscilla, and surrender her to a medical foster family.

The girl has Ritscher-Schinzel Syndrome. She can't speak or eat and needs to be fed through a tube. Priscilla requires constant care from a respite worker who looks after her when her parents go to work.

Thirty-seven children on the reserve require such home care services, but the Norway House Cree Nation said the money runs out on May 31.

The province of Manitoba and Ottawa have been negotiating over how to divide up the bill.

"For parents and kids involved here, they shouldn't have to worry about how those negotiations are going or how those discussions get resolved," Clement said.

"Our commitment is those services will not be interrupted."

Such a commitment is consistent with Parliament's adoption of "Jordan's Principle," the minister said.

Jordan River Anderson awaited transfer from a Winnipeg hospital to a medical foster family. For two years, Manitoba and federal officials argued about costs, even who would cover a special showerhead he needed.

The transfer never happened. Jordan died in February 2005 at the age of five.

In December, federal MPs vowed never to let that happen again. They unanimously voted in favour of a private members motion called Jordan's Principle; children should come first when it comes to funding disputes.

Clement said the federal government wants to determine how many other cases there are across the country and try to resolve any issues "well before it reaches a crisis point."

The minister said he "regretted" all the stress that has been created as a result of this current case.