Mane

MLA adds voice to calls _
to help cashless hospital

THE LOCAL health care
community has a valid argu-
ment in saying Mills
Memorial Hospital needs
more money, says Skeena
NDP MLA Helmut Gies-
brecht.

“Because there are more
specialists here, they attract
more people from else-
where,”’ he said last weck,

“People are selecting this
hospital as the place for
their acute care needs.”

Giesbrecht’s comments
follow that of the local
health care community

which bas been making a
Strong case for more money
for the embattled hospital.

As is the case with the lo-
cal health care community,
Giesbrecht is waiting for tbe
provincial budget at the end
of the month and then for
the allocations given to
provincial hospilals to see
how Mills fares this year.

“T hope we don’ get an-
other year of .1 per cont and
have to do the same things
over again,’’ the MLA said
of operating room and CT
scan closures.

Health minister Penny
Priddy has already said
there’s going to be a $228.5
million increase in the over-

Doctor
closure
plan
could
grow

DOCTORS MAY be clos-
ing their offices for as many
as 20 days this year, wams
the northwest representative
on the B:C. Medical Associ-
ation. oe

It's the only way
physicians can get their
point across that the pro-
vince is providing enough
money for doctor care, adds
local physician Dr. Geoff
Appleton.

And compared to the three
one-day closures this month,
the coming year’s closures
might come in blocks of a
week at a time.

“A week long closure
would make more of a state-
ment,’ said Appleton in ad-
ding that March’s one-day
closures were accepted as
another form of a long
weekend,

The doctors are in a battle
with the provincial govern-
ment for more money,
saying what is given now
for their practices doesn't
match a growing and aging
population.

The three one-day
closures this month are an
attempt by doctors to stop
working for free.

That’s because their bill-
ings this year have cut-
stripped what they receive
from the provincial medical
services commission.

The news for next year
isn’t any better, says Ap-
pleton.

“Whal we anticipate is a
shortfall of at least $50 mil-
lion, if not more,”’ he said.

Appleton said there were
no problems wilh the March
6 and March 18 closures
and expects the third one on
March 31, to follow in the
same vein.

Although the doctors are
closing their offices, they’re
maintaining emergency oll-
call services at Mills
Memorial Hospital.

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all health budget for the new
fiscal year beginning April

1.

Of that amount, hospitals
are duc to receive $63 mil-
lion on top of what they
have now.

One problem in budget al-
locations and spending, said
Giesbrecht, is having spe-
cialized medical services
spread out through other
hospitals in the northwest.

Although it might make
more sense to group special-
ized services in a regional
centre such as Mills, it
would be a battle to take
them away from other hos-
pitals, Giesbrecht continued.
_ That would be political
suicide,” said Giesbrecht of
the importance communilics
and their hospitals place on
specialty services.

“(Former health minister
Paul) Ramsey tried that in
Kitimat with orthopedics
and it didn’t work,’’ he said,

That’s in reference to the
attempt in the early 1990s to
move Kitimat’s orthopedic
surgical service to Prince
Rupert in what was judged
to be a wiser use of
resources.

‘What happens is that
we're obligated lo maintain

a certain level of service in
those communities, but
doing that may not be the
most efficient,” said Gies-
brecht,

wakkkKk

Giesbrechi did challenge
northwest hospital budget
amounts and population fig-
ures which were used by lo-
cal doctors in an-ad several
weeks ago to state that Mills
needs more money.

The ad made it appear that
Mills receives less money
but covers more people than
do hospitals in Kitimat and
Prince Rupert, said Gics-
brecht.

Giesbrecht said doctors
added Terrace’s population
with that of the Hazeltons
and Stewart but only listed
the budget amount for Mills
and not the moncy for
Wrinch Memorial in
Hazelton or the health
centre in Stewart.

“‘Thal would raise the
budget figure to $14,694
million, not the $11,204

million figure they used,”’
he said.

And, they added in ex-
tended and long term care
amounts to the Kitimat and
Rupert

Prince hospital

Bees erecalare...

Helmut Giesbrecht
budgets but used only acute
care dollars for their Terrace
figure.

Giesbrecht said his figures

enable people to take anolb-
er look at hospital financing.

“Help For Today,

Hope For Tomorrow,

Alzheimer Society

=

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 25, 1998 - A$

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