Underfunding or mismanagement?

The Big Question for Saskatchewan Health Care:

Underfunding or Mismanagement?

Nipawin - March 5, 2000 - By: Mario deSantis

an established record of breaking the law Saskatchewan health districts have been operating as puppets of both the government and the

Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO). Therefore, the incompetence and

corruption of these two organizations has extended to the districts as well. And as the

government and SAHO have an established record of breaking the law, so the districts

developed their own brand for breaking the law: going into the red⁽¹⁾.

deficit of $22.5 million should be revised to be $30 million Last October, Saskatoon was experiencing a $9 million deficit⁽²⁾, while Regina tabled a deficit

of $22.5 million⁽³⁾. Last week, in the midst of a provincial social unrest for rampant racism, the

Yorkton's district, unable to meet its financial obligations, was taken over by an appointed public

administrator⁽⁴⁾. Today, we have a consultant's review of the operations of the Regina Health

District stating that the previously expected operating deficit of $22.5 million should be revised

to be $30 million⁽⁵⁾. This review conducted by consultant Bert Boyd includes the following

recommendations:

Measures to strengthen leadership in the board and Senior Management;
A contract between the district and government outlining expectations for achieving financial sustainability;
Development of a three-year financial recovery plan;
The reduction of various hospital support services;
A special advisor to assist in implementation of the plan.

strong business skills Minister of Health Pat Atkinson and Board Chair Anita Bergman agreed on the above mentioned

recommendations and the Minister announced that she will fill three board vacancies with

individuals having strong business skills and that Bert Boyd will be appointed as Special Advisor

reporting to the minister.

plan assumes the cooperation of the staff So, this is the way to fix the health care system in Regina: call for an outside consultant's review,

accept the consultant's recommendations, increase the leadership of Senior Management, use the

'written word⁽⁶⁾' in the form of a contract, cut services and staff, stick with the strategic financial

plan, appoint a special advisor. Isn't it nice? Everything is on paper, there is only one small problem

though, the strategic plan assumes the cooperation of the staff facing layoffs, and of the doctors.

I don't think they like the policing attitude of this government Do you know Minister Pat Atkinson what happens when you assume too much? "You make an ass

of u and me⁽⁷⁾" The President of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, Rosalee Longmoore, has

stated that cutting staff is not a good idea⁽⁸⁾. As doctors are concerned, they have been excluded in

being active participants of health reform, they have been accused of being partially responsible for

the death of some patients, they have opposed the grandiose project of the Saskatchewan Health

Information Network (SHIN), and I don't think they like the policing attitude of this government

either.

Regina Health District is not an assembly factory In conclusion, Boyd's strategic plan lacks the most important ingredient to connect the plan to the

people who do the real day to day work, and these people are not either the bureaucrats or Senior

Management, they are just the people who do their work by using common sense rather than using

numbers and who connect to each other by telling their stories. Minister Pat Atkinson, you are not

wearing clean underwear⁽⁹⁾ yet, and I remind you that the Regina Health District is not an assembly

factory, it should be a healthy community.

Saskatchewan health care, as well as Canada health care⁽¹⁰⁾, is not underfunded, it is grossly

mismanaged by our political and bureaucratic Big Brains⁽¹¹⁾ who are continuing to write off

people and down size this province to greatness.

-------------Endnotes:

General reference: Articles by Mario deSantis published by North Central Internet News
http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/authors/desantis.html

1.
-
An Act respecting Health District, Section 31. Districts are not allowed '...to project an operating deficit...', The Queen's Printer, 1993, Regina, Saskatchewan

2.
-
Saskatchewan Healthcare: Breaking the Law & Mismanagement, by Mario deSantis, January 20, 2000

3.
-
Healthcare in Saskatchewan: Getting ready for re-reengineering and shifting the blame, by Mario deSantis, October 31, 1999

4.
-
Saskatchewan Health Care: Mississippi Burning of the Year 1964, by Mario deSantis, February 25, 2000

5.
-
REVIEW SPELLS OUT REGINA RECOVERY PLAN, Government News Release, Health - 86, March 2, 2000, http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/2000/03/02-86.html

6.
-
-
-
Premier Roy Romanow, a constitutional lawyer, has created a new form of political intelligence in the so called 'written word', that is a contractual directive-just or not just-sanctioned autocratically by an authoritarian office.
Pat Atkinson, the Shortage of Nurses and the Rule of Law, by Mario deSantis, January 26, 2000

7.
-
Simplicity The new competitive Advantage, by Bill Jensen, Perseus Books, page 49, January 2000 http://www.simplerwork.com/j/manifesto-read.html

8.
-
Layoffs loom in Regina Health District, CBC Saskatchewan http://sask.cbc.ca/ Web Posted | Mar 2 2000 8:34 PM EST

9.
-
A message for Health Minister Pat Atkinson: Wear Clean Underwear, by Mario deSantis, February 8, 2000

10.
On Mismanagement of Health Care, by Mario deSantis, March 3, 2000

11.
Healthcare Payroll and SAHO's Big Brains, by Mario deSantis, November 20, 1999

The Big Question for Saskatchewan Health Care: Underfunding or Mismanagement?
*Nipawin - March 5, 2000 - By: Mario deSantis*

an established record of breaking the law	Saskatchewan health districts have been operating as puppets of both the government and the
	Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO). Therefore, the incompetence and
	corruption of these two organizations has extended to the districts as well. And as the
	government and SAHO have an established record of breaking the law, so the districts
	developed their own brand for breaking the law: going into the red⁽¹⁾.

deficit of $22.5 million should be revised to be $30 million	Last October, Saskatoon was experiencing a $9 million deficit⁽²⁾, while Regina tabled a deficit
	of $22.5 million⁽³⁾. Last week, in the midst of a provincial social unrest for rampant racism, the
	Yorkton's district, unable to meet its financial obligations, was taken over by an appointed public
	administrator⁽⁴⁾. Today, we have a consultant's review of the operations of the Regina Health
	District stating that the previously expected operating deficit of $22.5 million should be revised
	to be $30 million⁽⁵⁾. This review conducted by consultant Bert Boyd includes the following
	recommendations:
	Measures to strengthen leadership in the board and Senior Management; A contract between the district and government outlining expectations for achieving financial sustainability; Development of a three-year financial recovery plan; The reduction of various hospital support services; A special advisor to assist in implementation of the plan.

strong business skills	Minister of Health Pat Atkinson and Board Chair Anita Bergman agreed on the above mentioned
	recommendations and the Minister announced that she will fill three board vacancies with
	individuals having strong business skills and that Bert Boyd will be appointed as Special Advisor
	reporting to the minister.

plan assumes the cooperation of the staff	So, this is the way to fix the health care system in Regina: call for an outside consultant's review,
	accept the consultant's recommendations, increase the leadership of Senior Management, use the
	'written word⁽⁶⁾' in the form of a contract, cut services and staff, stick with the strategic financial
	plan, appoint a special advisor. Isn't it nice? Everything is on paper, there is only one small problem
	though, the strategic plan assumes the cooperation of the staff facing layoffs, and of the doctors.

I don't think they like the policing attitude of this government	Do you know Minister Pat Atkinson what happens when you assume too much? "You make an ass
	of u and me⁽⁷⁾" The President of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, Rosalee Longmoore, has
	stated that cutting staff is not a good idea⁽⁸⁾. As doctors are concerned, they have been excluded in
	being active participants of health reform, they have been accused of being partially responsible for
	the death of some patients, they have opposed the grandiose project of the Saskatchewan Health
	Information Network (SHIN), and I don't think they like the policing attitude of this government
	either.

Regina Health District is not an assembly factory	In conclusion, Boyd's strategic plan lacks the most important ingredient to connect the plan to the
	people who do the real day to day work, and these people are not either the bureaucrats or Senior
	Management, they are just the people who do their work by using common sense rather than using
	numbers and who connect to each other by telling their stories. Minister Pat Atkinson, you are not
	wearing clean underwear⁽⁹⁾ yet, and I remind you that the Regina Health District is not an assembly
	factory, it should be a healthy community.

	Saskatchewan health care, as well as Canada health care⁽¹⁰⁾, is not underfunded, it is grossly
	mismanaged by our political and bureaucratic Big Brains⁽¹¹⁾ who are continuing to write off
	people and down size this province to greatness.

-------------Endnotes:

	General reference: Articles by Mario deSantis published by North Central Internet News http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/authors/desantis.html

1. -	An Act respecting Health District, Section 31. Districts are not allowed '...to project an operating deficit...', The Queen's Printer, 1993, Regina, Saskatchewan

2. -	Saskatchewan Healthcare: Breaking the Law & Mismanagement, by Mario deSantis, January 20, 2000

3. -	Healthcare in Saskatchewan: Getting ready for re-reengineering and shifting the blame, by Mario deSantis, October 31, 1999

4. -	Saskatchewan Health Care: Mississippi Burning of the Year 1964, by Mario deSantis, February 25, 2000

5. -	REVIEW SPELLS OUT REGINA RECOVERY PLAN, Government News Release, Health - 86, March 2, 2000, http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/2000/03/02-86.html

6. - - -	Premier Roy Romanow, a constitutional lawyer, has created a new form of political intelligence in the so called 'written word', that is a contractual directive-just or not just-sanctioned autocratically by an authoritarian office. Pat Atkinson, the Shortage of Nurses and the Rule of Law, by Mario deSantis, January 26, 2000

7. -	Simplicity The new competitive Advantage, by Bill Jensen, Perseus Books, page 49, January 2000 http://www.simplerwork.com/j/manifesto-read.html

8. -	Layoffs loom in Regina Health District, CBC Saskatchewan http://sask.cbc.ca/ Web Posted \| Mar 2 2000 8:34 PM EST

9. -	A message for Health Minister Pat Atkinson: Wear Clean Underwear, by Mario deSantis, February 8, 2000

10.	On Mismanagement of Health Care, by Mario deSantis, March 3, 2000

11.	Healthcare Payroll and SAHO's Big Brains, by Mario deSantis, November 20, 1999