Page AZ — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 27, 1992

Heaith care money switch slammed as ‘a shell

TERRACE -- Cutting hospital budgets to put more moncy into community health services is nothing but a ‘‘shell game,’’ charges Skecna MLA Helmut Giesbrecht. .

As hospitals across the north battle budget freezes imposed by Victoria, the health ministry last week announced a $105 million boost to community-based health services,

According to Skeena Health Unit administrator David Bower- ing, that will mean about 10 new positions across the region.

The increases haven’t been finalized, but he said that will

Hospital faces flexibilit

TERRACE -- Mills Memorial Hospital may be closing beds not in use but that affects flexibility and ultimately service, its admin- istrator said last week,

And that could mean sending people elsewhere who need a hospital bed; said Michael Leisinger. ’

The hospital is losing 22 of its

89 beds due to a freeze in its budget ordered by the provincial government,

Sixteen of those beds are now in the pediairics ward and six in the psychiatric ward.

from front

Hkely translate into about three new positions in Terrace -- an en- vironmental health officer, one or two public health nurses and a half-time audiologist.

Bowering said there could be additional increases in the area of continuing care and mental health services.

The move stems from the recommendations of the recent royal commission on health care, which called for a shift to more

_ preventative medicine.

- “There’s a very real shift going on,” Bowering said. “I think in the long term we're going to see, hopefully, improved health in the

The closures fit average use of the wards yet four of the pediatrics beds were used to handle overflow from the hospi- tal’s medical-surgical ward, said Leisinger.

The medical-surgical ward con- sistently rugs at or over capacity.

"One of the joys and con- veniences of a small town haspi- tal is that there is a lot more flexibility and accommodation overa larger hospital."

"We may have naw lost that. We'll have to be a bit more hard tose. Ill be pretty bard for

community.”' The expectation, he said, is that

the hospitals and other health ser- .

vice agencies will work together more closely in the future.

He -said one potential cost- saving measure is to discharge mothers from hospital sooner and follow up with a visit at home from a public health nurse,

“There’s a whole variety of preventalive strategies,” he said,

But Giesbrecht questions the wisdom of a sudden shift of money from hospital budgets to community health.

"Will the Tesources in com-

people to face,"

"Like it or not, we may not be able to find people a bed and they'll have to go down south and that means ambulance fees and personal expenses," said Leisinger.

He said the cuts contradict con- sultant Malcolm Walker's report last year which recommended ad-

ding four beds to the 30 in the

medical surgery ward,

The report also recommended that the hospital receive an extra $190,000 a year for basic ser-

* vices,

Hundreds protest cuts —

Among the speakers were several members of the local medical community who said ser- vices built up carefully over the years will suffer if the cuts go ahead,

They also said specialists will leave the area.

"Emergencies happén in 10 to

15 minutes. We don’t have time - te get people to Vancouver in 10 -

or 15 minutes," said surgeon. Dr. Donald Strangway.

He also objected to the health ministry labelling Mills Memorial as a hospital that serving only the

city. and.not.as.a-regional. centre -

that deserves. more money.

By MES TERS ht ade oho

"Our population base for specialists is 70,000 to 80,000," Strangway said.

"We need money com- Mensurate With the level of ser- vices given," he said,

Dr. James Dunfield said Gies- brecht is responsible to local resi- dents and not to the NDP.

"Swamp him, the premier, the minister of health with com- plaints. That’s the only way they'll listen,” Dunfield con- tinued.

Neurologist Dr. Francis Osei-

Tutu said he found it hard to un-_. ~ »-Serstand.. that..a_.move . to com-

munity care meant closing beds at

the hospital.

Terrace Regional Health Care Society chairman Alex Houlden reminded the crowd that this is the second time in less than a year the hospital faces cuts.

Last, year, the hospital and the province hired an outside consul- tant to review operations.

Malcolm Walker recommended that the hospital receive an extra $242,000, $145,000 of which would come directly from the province,

That money was paid last year

and. this year but isn’t enough to...

buffer the budget freeze...

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munity health be enough to com- pensate for the resources taken out of acute care in the region?” he asked, .

At the very least, the hospital should have received enough for inflation and to cover contract in- creases.

Giesbrecht labelled Victoria’s move ‘‘a shell game’ because ‘‘we don’t know the full amount community health care is get- ting. a?

And he doubted the community will react to services that he says it knows nothing about.

“I find it unacceptable,’ he said. “T’ll do what I can,”

y loss

That money was added to the

., bospital’s budget last year and

given again this year after. a

review of its operations.

Walker’s report also reflected the position of the hospital as a regional centre, something the health ministry has not recog- nized when setting budgets.

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