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_EDITORIA

Take two aspirin

That dust up over at the Skeena
Health Unit about the appointment chief
medical health officer Dr. David Bower-
ing to also act as its director may be
heading to some sort of compromise.
But.in case you’ve been having trouble
keeping score, here's a quick review.

Health units in the province have
medical health officers who also act as
directors. The Skeena health unit is one
of four northern health units which has

~ had trouble attracting physicians to act

as medical health officers.

Just over three years ago the health
ministry appointed directors of the nor-
thern units to provide a continuing
managerial presence while physicians
were rotated in and out as temporary
medical health officers.

Bowering was hired by the Skeena
health unit just after a director was hired
here. By late last year it became apparent
Bowering would stay, thus removing the
possibility of the health unit having to
rely upon a temporary officer. Also late
last year the health ministry hired an ad-
ministrative officer to help with day-to-
day management, apparently clearing

the way for a combined medical health -

officer and director.

In January the director, Mike Corbeil,
was reassigned by the health ministry.
(He also announced his candidacy for
the Skeena NDP nomination at that time
which may, or may not, have something
to do with the reassignment).

Bowering was then named as acting
director and last month, was named
director by the health ministry. From
here, things get a bit confusing.

It sees that while medical hea'th of-
ficers are hired by the board because it is
responsible for community health, the
health ministry hires every other health
unit employee, including the director.
Thus, a medical health officer-director
technically has two bosses.

The board got into a snit when told
that Bowering was named director by the
health ministry. It says the combined job

of medical health officer and director is

too difficult given the responsibilities of
each area and the large territory covered —

by the health unit.

When the board questioned the ap-
pointment of Bowering the health
ministry retreated a bit by asking it con-
firm Bowering as director. But at the
board's Feb. 24 meeting, it agreed only.

to confirm Bowering as interim director .

pending more discussion with the health
ministry.

Indications are that it was a less. than
pleasant meeting. Two days later Bower-
ing told the board he would resign if he
wasn’t named the director. His opinion
of the workload is different, saying hav-
ing two people at the top wasn’t work-
ing.

This leads to the following:

1, Just what is the responsibility and
authority of the board and of the health

ministry in hiring medical health officers |.

and directors. Is this a case of conflict

between the board and the health

ministry?

2. Surely the board should know the
health ministry wants medical health of-
ficers to also be directors. Why was it
surprised when this occurred? The hiring
of an administrative officer should have
been one clue.

3. Given that an administrative officer
was hired, why would the board condone
that when there ‘was’ already a director?”
And now that there is an administrative

‘officer, why would the board want a

separate director? Isn’t this an expansion
of the bureaucracy?

4. It's darn hard to find medical health
officers in the north. If the board is hap-
py with Bowering, why would it take
steps to show otherwise? =

6. Why would Bowering react so fast
by saying he ,would resign? Although he
knows he won’t have much trouble fin-

‘ding work elsewhere, he is by now an ex-

perienced bureaucrat. That means he
knows how the system works, So why
didn’t he wait until the board and the
health ministry figured things out? .

Gliding along

. Figure skaters are such a

scrappy lot, organizers must
adhere to guidelines evolved
after years of mediating pre-

’ skate warmups that threatened
to spark international incidents, Bifocals
., They build arenas with chest- by Claudette Sandeckl

high wooden barriers encircling

Through

the ice to buffer fans from im-

petuous performers, Even then,
skaters sometimes grab spec-
tators by the hand and attempt
to lever them over the boards,
At other times, a skater might
reach over to strangle an
onlooker. Frequently they
refuse to loosen their grip until
bribed with flowers.

Just. as rodeo corrals have
partitions, arenas have dressing-
room chutes through which
coaches herd their skaters to the
ice, (Usually no more than two
skaters are released on to the ice
simultaneously. This lessens the
likelihood of arms and legs
becoming entangled i in a melee.)

The gate is then snapped shut
behind the skater, Instantly
close-up television locks on
him, Commentatots Teport and
interpret his every. move, like
weathermen. tracking 9 hur-
ricane. In ‘particular, everyone
-watches him ‘for the “kilter
look’, a sign of great portent.

‘Once the contender has com-

peted, he is let off.the ice and

penned in the Kiss and Cry Cor-
ner where he awaits posting of
his technical and artistic marks.

| _A rating of 6.0 moves him along

to a bank of microphones for an,

opportunity to expound on bis }

accomplishments. This he does
with charming modesty,
employing the royal ‘‘we’’, asin
‘We were happy with our per-
formance tonight.”’

Subtle tactics keep athletes in
line while not competing:
skaters wear flashy jackets that
make them easier to spot and
identify. their blades are
covered so they can’t give coach
the slip, And they’re encourag-
ed to collect booty. .

Most do collect, with the fer-

vor of Michael Wilson lopping .

women’s funding, Watch them
zip clear across a_‘egulation-
sized rink to snatch up a single
blossom, Why, in Halifax last
week, one performer even
stooped-to recover an ice chip.

With their arms full of bou-

quets, _ballaons and - stuffed
animals, they can throw only
dirty looks.

To preserve podium poise: at
awards time, separate platforms
are built, at varying levels, all

high enough to maroori the win- -

ners like low income families in
the rental market...

Nonetheless,’ winners often
grapple. across the intervening
space, pounding each other on.

“the back: Awards ° officials

Ft ra eh Selah lsc eter aon At ee

hurry to distract them from
these hostilities with striped rib-
bons dangling shiny medals.
Playing a national anthem also

helps to maintain order until the:

cameras leave,

Each year we outfit our
skaters in flags with sleeves and
send them off to compete
before thousands of rinkside af-
ficionados and millions of TV

. viewers, CBC brings us the ac-

tion, live, airing a commercial

whenever overt fighting breaks’

out.
This year’s gala at the climax

‘of the World Skating Cham-

pionships had one commercial
per skater.
A record surely.

en (OKAY RIGHT HAND on
OP oF HANDLE , LEFT
HAND ON HIP... NOW

Hot P THAT FOR “ZHouRs!

an 1 i 0 HARD 1 GREE ON MEE Y IE
“aH THEY TRY ANOTHER LAKE F Pee

VICTORIA — There’s never a
shortage of critics. Thus we
have a 21-year-old chap,
recovering in Vancouver
General Hospital from a
broken pelvis, telling us we

don’t need a Royal Commis:- a

sion'on Heath Care,. °°:

“Who needs another Royal
Commission?’’ Keith Acton is
quoted as saying to a Province
reporter. ‘It would be better if
the money were given to.a°
hospital,’’ he added. Well, I’m
not saying the young chap isn't
entitled to state his opinion, -
but I honestly fail to see what
light this 21-year-old could
possibly shed on the need for a
Royal Commission,

More disturbing than the, of
necessity, ill-informed opinion
of a young lad who has barely
escaped his teens is the reac-
tion of Tom Perry, the NDP
health critic. Perry, a doctor
himself, had little good to say
about the Royal Commission. .

- He said it was two years late

and. ‘*pure politics,’

_ Perry went on to say that
the appointment of the Com-
mission was “an obvious at-
tempt by the Socreds to take

‘their health-care crisis out of
the realm of political debate.’’ °

Look who’s playing politics
now. Oh, I know that an op-
position critic isn’t supposed to
be.praising the government,
but this isn't another skirmish
in the environmental wars or a
debate about the desirability of
a steel mill in B.C,

” We're talking about the pro-
vince’s health-care system.

A little more support from

the good doctor would

be in order, I think. And
anyway, what’s wrong with
taking the health-care pro-
blems out of the realm of
political debate for a while.
Fat lot of good it did us that
health care has been a political
football all these years.

Perry's colleagues aren’t any
more supportive of the Com-
mission than he is. Most of’
them, it seems, are more con-
cemed with the small wage in-
crease they got. Doctors who

ned nn mn poing
-a worthy effort

From the

Capital
‘by Hubert Beyer.

have been without a contract
since last April will geta
Tretroactive 3.5 per cent raise. .
Admittedly, that doesn’t sound
like a great deal, but then, one
could ask, 3.5 per cent of
what?

The only ones not im-
mediately panning the idea
were the nurses. Aside from
some disgruntled individual
Florence Nightingales, whom
the media found ‘and quoted
with their usual dedication to

. negativism, the nurses ap-

plauded the appointment of
the Commission, ;

“We're glad one has been
established even if it has taken
three health ministers to do
so,” said Pat Savage, president
of the 20,000-member B.C.
Nurses Union. At least
somebody has the courage to
give credit where credit is due,
old and traditional political en-
mities notwithstanding.

Frankly, establishing this
Royal Commission was the .
best thing the goverment could
have done, considering the
problems we've got with the
delivery of health care.

The problems are becoming”
too numerous to mention.

- There are the waiting lists for

surgery, There are the hospital
beds standing idle because of
escalating health-care costs. :
The latest threat to the
health-care system came last
week, The Victoria Medical
Association announced that
heart surgery at Victoria's
Royal Jubilee Hospital may
have to be shut down because
of a staff shortage. ;
The technicians who run the
heart-lung machines during
heart surgery are being lured
to better-paying jobs in the
United States, Of five techni- -

'. fessionals. In short, it will pry.

cians, two have already left
and another two are condsider-
ing gaing to the States.

’ A comparison of salaries. -
makes it clear why they want.
to-pull up stakes, In Canada, |
these technicians earn about
$38,000 a year; in the States, ©
they get $58,000; that’s U.S. .
dollars. It seems to me that ::
$38,000 a year is a pittance for
someone in whose skilled
hands your life is during ;
surgery. Dammit; a reporter in
his first year makes more than

' that at most dailies.

Health Minister John Jansen
says the Commission will put -

"the entire health-care system.
“under a microscope and, ne
within 18. months, come back’

with health care blueprint for _

the 1990's.

The Commission will ex- -.
amine the structure, the .
organization and the mandate -
of the health-care system. Et’.

will probe the effectiveness of

services, including hospitals, .
continuing care, medical and |

drug programs, and the growth .

tates of programs..
The Coramission will look. at
the cost associated with all

aspects of health care and, if —_

possible, identify better alloca-.
tion of resources. The latter .
has been put forth in radio ads

by the B.C, Medical Associa- |.

tion as the answer to our-

health-care problems, Better use .
of existing funding, not higher.
. taxes, is the solution, the ad” am

says. pee
The’ Commission will also
examine manpower re <

_ quirements, including those for ao
doctors, nurses and other pro-:: : :

into every aspect of British
Columbia's health-care’ system

All in all, 8 commendable © %:' .

undertaking.

NaRTeN mM TAKING:
A CORRESPONDENCE j
COURSE ON.».

DEPARTMENT
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