Golden Star
Health care cuts are worrisome
Published: July 22, 2009 5:00 AM
With recent announcements that B.C.’s health care system has to find $360 million worth of savings this year, regional authorities are looking at cuts to elective surgery, administration, staff overtime, “non-essential” maintenance and contract services.
Interior Health (IH) Chief Executive Officer Murray Ramsden said that IH’s total expense budget is approximately $1.5 billion.
“To manage an organization of this magnitude to a balanced budget is a significant accomplishment. In the past, one-time funding was granted, however, this year we have been told that there is no additional funding available to cover health authority deficits - because of the current economic situation.”
Ramsden said that IH and all health authorities will need to manage within existing budgets and record balanced budgets (no deficits). As a result, over the next year, IH will need to find efficiencies that can be re-invested in the front-line health-care services patients depend upon.
“At this time, we do not have details available and are not able to say exactly how health services in Golden may be impacted by the current fiscal situation. As we work through the process, we will keep the community informed of potential changes,” said Cathy Renkas, Interior Health Chief Communications Officer.
MLA Columbia River-Revelstoke, Norm Macdonald, said that one of the results of funding shortfalls will be the combining of East and West Kootenay administrative structures.
Renkas reported that over the past three months, IH has been looking for opportunities to find administrative efficiencies across the organization.
“One strategy that is being implemented immediately is the establishment of a single leadership team for Kootenay Boundary and East Kootenay Health Service Delivery Areas lead by one Chief Operating Officer (COO). This restructuring will take place in the months ahead and will enable IH to find efficiencies within the administrative and support areas which can then be re-allocated to direct patient care. Patients and clients should not notice any change in how or where they receive their services.”
Macdonald, who said this is an issue that bothers him a great deal, said that since February, the opposition has said that the health budget numbers could not meet the current needs in B.C.
“Throughout the election, the Liberals described any suggestion of cuts to health care as fear mongering,” said Macdonald, adding, “Now the reports are coming out that there will be $30 million in cuts. The government will use words like efficiency when talking about the cuts, but the reality is that the administrative cuts are relatively small, leaving the elective surgeries vulnerable to longer wait times than the already long wait times we have now.”
This information, said Macdonald, was known before election time, but was kept hidden by the current government.
“They had the information and lied about what the true state of the budget was. Because of that the health authorities are now rushing to cut $30 million and that means real problems for people across the province. The heath care cuts impacts people directly and they [B.C. Liberals] had absolutely no right to keep that a secret during the election campaign.”
Macdonald addressed the wait times of elective surgery explaining that, for example, an arthritic patient who is in need of hip replacement surgery and is already on a long wait list may have to wait even longer now.
“The implications for people’s quality of life are quite profound,” he said.
According to a report by Ramsden, the pressures of population growth, our aging demographic and increased use of the health care system is placing tremendous demands on the system.
“Combine those increasing demands with the world wide economic downturn, and we know that IH will be faced with financial challenges this year, and in the years ahead.”
Ramsden said that IH has focused, over the past three months, on gaining administrative efficiencies in non-clinical areas so as not to impact direct patient care.