_ 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