Technology in Sask Health Care : an abysmal disaster

Technological Changes In Saskatchewan Health Care:

An Abysmal Disaster

By Mario deSantis, May 27, 1999

health budget is not addressing the needs
After being labelled as a back stabber by our constitutional lawyer Premier Roy Romanow⁽¹⁾,

MLA Ken Krawetz is right on target when he stated that a $1.9-billion health budget is not

addressing the needs of Saskatchewan residents and that money should be spent more

effectively⁽²⁾.

districts operate as puppets
One of the major philosophical shortcoming of the health system has been the calcified mind set

of SAHO along with the government to centralize the health care operations and have the health

care districts operate as puppets of SAHO and the government.

Let me refer for example to the area of high technological implementations. In 1995, SAHO and

SHIN has progressed to the stage to become another obsolete bureaucratic agency
Saskatchewan Health were getting ready to implement the Saskatchewan Health Care System

Architecture⁽³⁾, the biggest ever project undertaken by the government at a cost in the order of

hundreds of millions of dollars⁽⁴⁾. The Provincial Auditor analysed this project and remarked

that most big projects are effected by new technological changes and that they never see their

completion as originally designed⁽⁵⁾. The implementation of the Saskatchewan Health Care

System Architecture was eventually scaled down to cost approximately $40 millions and took the

name of the Saskatchewan Health Information Network (SHIN)⁽⁶⁾. It is my understanding that

these $40 million dollars have been already spent and that SHIN has progressed to the stage to

become another obsolete bureaucratic agency whose existence is presently being justified by

reinventing the wheel: SHIN will be integrating e-mail across the health system⁽⁷⁾.

Telehealth is not yet operational but already obsolete
SAHO, the government and the health districts are not understanding yet the business implications

of the Internet Economy characterized by continuous technological changes and they are still

implementing high technological projects over three-five year periods. I am now referring

to the Telehealth⁽⁸⁾ ⁽⁹⁾ system which has cost millions of dollars of taxpayer money, which is not

operative yet, and whose technology is already obsolete.

Telehealth to link Cumberland House to Nipawin
The Telehealth system will be operational in linking Cumberland House, a northern community

about 350 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, to Nipawin. Our Associate Health Minister

Judy Junor, in reviewing the Telehealth system has stated "...It's going to be a significant

change in how health services are delivered in remote areas, and in particular in the north..."⁽¹⁰⁾

This is progress in Northern Saskatchewan, the provision of an obsolete Telehealth system to

Millions spent to develop Telehealth system
a community in desperate needs of economic development, better living conditions, and where

the infant mortality rate is one of highest in Canada⁽¹¹⁾ ⁽¹²⁾. Millions of taxpayer dollars have

been thrown away for the development of the Telehealth system, while our next door business FTL

Communications of Tisdale could implement this Cumberland House-Nipawin linking for few

thousand dollars along with the opportunity to use new technologies and diversify the local rural

economy⁽¹³⁾. This Telehealth system is another contribution to a disastrous economic policy

of health failures, against rural Saskatchewan, against the impoverished northern communities and

against all health care customers of this province.

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

1.
-
-
NOTES FOR REMARKS by Premier Roy Romanow to the Annual Convention of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, Saturday, Nov. 22, 1997 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/saskndp/SPEECHES/convention_speech_97.html

2.
-
Atkinson disputes healt-care study finding, by Mark Wyatt, The StarPhoenix, May 20, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

3.
-
Managing Information Technology-A Vision for the Future- Information Technology Architecture, Page 1.2, Saskatchewan Health, April 1995

4.
-
-
Review of Economic Soundness of the Implementation of the Saskatchewan Healthcare Systems Architecture, by Mario deSantis, June 21, 1995 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-HealthRefSystArchB-Jn21-95.htm

5.
Report of the Provincial Auditor, 1997 Spring, Saskatchewan

6.
-
A Historical Perspective of The Saskatchewan Health Information Network, March 1998, by Mario deSantis and James deSantis http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-SHIN.htm

7.
Saskatchewan Health Information Network Newsletter, Volume 3 Issue 1, May 1999

8.
-
Ottawa kicks in $400,000 to SDH for video-conferencing. Article reported in The StarPhoenix, January 16, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

9.
-
Never enough money for SAHO, by Mario deSantis, March 30, 1999, published in the North Central Internet News

10.
-
Province pitches to close gaps using a high-tech diagnosis, by Lisa Schmidt, The StarPhoenix, May 21, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

11.
-
The Child Challenge, May 23, 1999, FTLComm - Tisdale, published in the North Central Internet News

12.
-
Do we need further specialized researches in Saskatchewan health care?, by Mario deSantis, May 21, 1999, published in the North Central Internet News

13.
-
-
-
-
Worldwide Developer's Conference Begins Today, FTLComm - San Jose - May 10, 1999 by: Timothy W. Shire "...Through the wonders of QuickTime 4.0 I was able to attend the Keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose California and listen as interim CEO Steve Jobs and head of software development Avie Trevanian outline Apple's present strategy...". Published in the North Central Internet News

Technological Changes In Saskatchewan Health Care:
An Abysmal Disaster
*By Mario deSantis, May 27, 1999*

health budget is not addressing the needs	After being labelled as a back stabber by our constitutional lawyer Premier Roy Romanow⁽¹⁾,
	MLA Ken Krawetz is right on target when he stated that a $1.9-billion health budget is not
	addressing the needs of Saskatchewan residents and that money should be spent more
	effectively⁽²⁾.

districts operate as puppets	One of the major philosophical shortcoming of the health system has been the calcified mind set
	of SAHO along with the government to centralize the health care operations and have the health
	care districts operate as puppets of SAHO and the government.

	Let me refer for example to the area of high technological implementations. In 1995, SAHO and
SHIN has progressed to the stage to become another obsolete bureaucratic agency	Saskatchewan Health were getting ready to implement the Saskatchewan Health Care System
	Architecture⁽³⁾, the biggest ever project undertaken by the government at a cost in the order of
	hundreds of millions of dollars⁽⁴⁾. The Provincial Auditor analysed this project and remarked
	that most big projects are effected by new technological changes and that they never see their
	completion as originally designed⁽⁵⁾. The implementation of the Saskatchewan Health Care
	System Architecture was eventually scaled down to cost approximately $40 millions and took the
	name of the Saskatchewan Health Information Network (SHIN)⁽⁶⁾. It is my understanding that
	these $40 million dollars have been already spent and that SHIN has progressed to the stage to
	become another obsolete bureaucratic agency whose existence is presently being justified by
	reinventing the wheel: SHIN will be integrating e-mail across the health system⁽⁷⁾.

Telehealth is not yet operational but already obsolete	SAHO, the government and the health districts are not understanding yet the business implications
	of the Internet Economy characterized by continuous technological changes and they are still
	implementing high technological projects over three-five year periods. I am now referring
	to the Telehealth⁽⁸⁾ ⁽⁹⁾ system which has cost millions of dollars of taxpayer money, which is not
	operative yet, and whose technology is already obsolete.

Telehealth to link Cumberland House to Nipawin	The Telehealth system will be operational in linking Cumberland House, a northern community
	about 350 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, to Nipawin. Our Associate Health Minister
	Judy Junor, in reviewing the Telehealth system has stated "...It's going to be a significant
	change in how health services are delivered in remote areas, and in particular in the north..."⁽¹⁰⁾

	This is progress in Northern Saskatchewan, the provision of an obsolete Telehealth system to
Millions spent to develop Telehealth system	a community in desperate needs of economic development, better living conditions, and where
	the infant mortality rate is one of highest in Canada⁽¹¹⁾ ⁽¹²⁾. Millions of taxpayer dollars have
	been thrown away for the development of the Telehealth system, while our next door business FTL
	Communications of Tisdale could implement this Cumberland House-Nipawin linking for few
	thousand dollars along with the opportunity to use new technologies and diversify the local rural
	economy⁽¹³⁾. This Telehealth system is another contribution to a disastrous economic policy
	of health failures, against rural Saskatchewan, against the impoverished northern communities and
	against all health care customers of this province.

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

1. - -	NOTES FOR REMARKS by Premier Roy Romanow to the Annual Convention of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, Saturday, Nov. 22, 1997 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/saskndp/SPEECHES/convention_speech_97.html

2. -	Atkinson disputes healt-care study finding, by Mark Wyatt, The StarPhoenix, May 20, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

3. -	Managing Information Technology-A Vision for the Future- Information Technology Architecture, Page 1.2, Saskatchewan Health, April 1995

4. - -	Review of Economic Soundness of the Implementation of the Saskatchewan Healthcare Systems Architecture, by Mario deSantis, June 21, 1995 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-HealthRefSystArchB-Jn21-95.htm

5.	Report of the Provincial Auditor, 1997 Spring, Saskatchewan

6. -	A Historical Perspective of The Saskatchewan Health Information Network, March 1998, by Mario deSantis and James deSantis http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-SHIN.htm

7.	Saskatchewan Health Information Network Newsletter, Volume 3 Issue 1, May 1999

8. -	Ottawa kicks in $400,000 to SDH for video-conferencing. Article reported in The StarPhoenix, January 16, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

9. -	Never enough money for SAHO, by Mario deSantis, March 30, 1999, published in the North Central Internet News

10. -	Province pitches to close gaps using a high-tech diagnosis, by Lisa Schmidt, The StarPhoenix, May 21, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

11. -	The Child Challenge, May 23, 1999, FTLComm - Tisdale, published in the North Central Internet News

12. -	Do we need further specialized researches in Saskatchewan health care?, by Mario deSantis, May 21, 1999, published in the North Central Internet News

13. - - - -	Worldwide Developer's Conference Begins Today, FTLComm - San Jose - May 10, 1999 by: Timothy W. Shire "...Through the wonders of QuickTime 4.0 I was able to attend the Keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose California and listen as interim CEO Steve Jobs and head of software development Avie Trevanian outline Apple's present strategy...". Published in the North Central Internet News