_ This leaves Mills Memorial
short: about $716,000. In other

| words, if they offer the same ser-
‘vices they did last year, there will
be a deficit of $716,000 at the end
of the current fiscal year. A hospi-

_ tal deficit is illegal under provin-

cial law. If it occurs, the govern-

ment will fire the board of
trustees and appoint a board of
their own.

- -. The promised $145, 365 may
materialize. This will leave the
board with a $570,635 deficit

problem. A $45,000 diabetic .

teaching allotment not yet
renewed and pending review may
‘also be reinstated. But Mills
Memorial will still face a
$526,635 nightmare to solve. .
While many southern hospital
boards decide. how to spend
increases of up to 8% then, Mills
Memorial trustees will be. decid-
‘ing which services to cut in order
to avoid being fired by the Minis-
“try of Health,
— — "Wel re still battling,” says

Leisinger. "Negative funding is

continuing." He says they are now
"revisiting" their proposed budget.

and ‘putting a. business plan

together... But they now also have -

two more specialists to factor into

that regional plan — an ear, nose.

and throat specialist in ‘Terrace
and an orthopedic surgeon in
Kitimat.

‘ Under the ‘circumatances; a

_ new business plan sounds like the

right thing to do. But in reality it
means the society will be forced to

order staff cuts and bed closures...

Just like they did last summer. °

' "Outs will not jeopardize core.
surgical service,’ promises Leisin-
ger. "That’s the direction of the
- board." |

. But, "Other services will be
lost and it will be up to the com-
munity to. find’ those services
where they can."

In the meantime, all hope has

not been abandoned. Mills Mem-

orial administration and trustees

will be visiting other hospitals in —

Os Lucheon Buffet
~ "10 a.m, to 2 p.m.

hgh Dinner Buffet
a 5. p. m. to 8 p.m.

asst “Greig Avenue “Terrace, B. C. 635-6630 = /

Mother's S Day *
Specials...

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED —

$108
i fel
158

. Adult -
‘Senior
Child »
“Adult —

~ Child

May-10 .

_ No other specials apply on -
_ MOTHER'S DAY

‘terrace e Review — May 8, 1992

the: region to reaffirm support for
recently affirmed regional status.
‘This is important. It may or
may not affect the ministry's. 0%
budget decision. Likely not. -But
there is another. government
promise: hanging in the balance.

As a regional centre, and in recog-

nition of the inconvenience and

high -cost’.of travel to - -other
-. centres, the Dr. R.E.M: Lee Hospi-
‘tal Foundation ‘began a fund-
raising drive about two years ago.

- Their goal was the purchase
of a CT scanner. The province
declined to help with that pur-
chase, but did promise at one -
point that’ if ‘the - community
raised the money to buy the diag-

nostic machine the Ministry of

Health would provide the staff
and money to operate it. Ever

since, as ministers and then gov-

ernments changed, Mills Memor-
ial has been trying: to get that
promise confirmed.

To date the foundation. has:
raised over 75% of the cost, better
than $450,000. If things continue
to progress as they have, Leisin-
ger believes, Mills Memorial will
be able to purchase | the machine
at about: the end of the current
fiscal year.

‘But after all the hard. work,
will it be a dinosaur? As "periph-

~ eral" services are cut to meet this
~ year’s shortfall, will the medical

specialists in ‘Terrace remain

- here?

- Those peripheral services,
after all, like the CT scanner,

offer the basic structure which
has attracted and will continue to
- attract all those specialists. Erode

those services, with a calculated.
decline in annual funding, and we
may soon find our regional well of

| health care regources has run dry.

We may find ourselves forced to

- fly south for even the most basic

of procedures. -

_ Perhaps it’s time for another
petition, demanding our fair share
of tax dollars the provincial gov-
ernment. 8o willingly accepts. ~ |

" Tod Strachan