Aa - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 25, 1995 Doesn’t want to leave Dear Sir: Apropos the article ‘‘Doc targets MLA” in the last | issue of your newspaper. I have attempted to highlight the worst case scenario if service cuts are implemented by the government in order to correct the hospital’s budget deficit which, in any case, is the result of a totally unrealistic annual budget in the first place. The. specialists ‘named in your article along . with many ‘others, myself included, all enjoy the Pacific ‘| northwest lifestyle here, unparalleled elsewhere. No | one, Teast of all myself, is about to ‘abandon ship”. Nonetheless, inadequate funding will not permit the : hospital to maintain its ‘current level of specialty ser- vices’’.and, the hospital-based. specialties such: as : anesthesia will be amongst the first casnaltics, There remains-a desperate shortage of certain types of medical’ “Specialists (eg. anesthetists) in the UK, hence the lucrative financial packages offered, © it will be under these circumstances, that the UK and perhaps other places, will surely become an increasing: ly attractive alternative. Finally, I would like to stress that I am not targeting our MLA. J am nota political character assassin and as such have no wish to be. Nonetheless, my comments regarding our MLA do reflect a personal opinion and sentiment which I be- lieve is not unique to myself, and needs to be expressed at this crucial point in time. Dr, Phil Lin, "Terrace, B.C, Doctors doing OK Dear Sirs. I can’t help but respond to the political statements of Dr. Phillip Lin in ‘‘Doc targets MLA”? of your Oct, 18 issue. Of course the good doctor is wrong and'since | don’t:follow him around all day either, I-will at least refrain from commenting on his performance. , Unlike Dr. Lin and the BCMA I don’t have the made on limited taxpayers dollars. With federal Liberal offloading, and with everyone concerned about federal deficit. and debt reduction, the delivery of heallh care like everything else may have to endure some changes. Of all the groups in B.C. who have had their incomes and.job security affected by changes necessitated by the financial situation in the province and the country, doctors are one of the few groups least effected. They have been relatively insulated from = the restraint measures that have effected most other taxpayers. Recent statistics show that doctors payments account for 15 per cent of health spending in Canada. In B,C. that figure rises to 23 per cent. I have a lot of respect for doctors and I appreciate that they work long hours. Ido not begrudge.them their salaries. I simply under- sland that when they comment on medical services at Mills and in particular hospital funding, they have a financial interest. Also from what I hear about Britain, Dr. Lin, every- thing is not rosy in the health care field there either. Helmut Giesbrecht, MLA, Skeena luxury of isolating myself from all the other demands — Saturday Nov 4, 1995 at 12:00 For the Province of B.C. SCHOOL DIST 55 and Others. at KERR'S PIT. Leave Highway 16, 10 Miles East of Telkwa and follow Kerr Rd. and auction signs. 8V71 GM Diesel 480 V Generator (3) 671 GM Diesel 220 440V Generators (2) Cat 3304 Diesel 208 120V Generators Aluminum Service Box for.1 Ton (damaged) 12 tt. Misty River Alum Boat .° Office Chairs Case SP Swather ° Steno Chairs PTO Pressure Washer Tables 10hp Gas Water Pump Light Table 2 Dry Boxes --» Type-Writers Oil Storage Tanks » - 6 Apple Computers - Propane Range “8 Apple Disc Drives Engine Anallzer Jee" 8 Monitors Diazit Dart Whiteprinter = Printers Ammonia Arraster’ lap Drawers 12 Record Players 21 Filmstrip Projectors. Overhead Projectors °° 16mm Projectars ~ : Window Screen 8 Video Machines: 2): “Chalkboards Clarke Floor Scrubber... Glass ; Woods Floor Machine. ~._ Tailets, Urenals Vacuum Cleaners “..°, Basins and Sinks Cassette Players? 2 Grills | Res! to Reel Recorders - ~ Shower Stall Doll House -, Jacussi Water Pump Gin. Beaver Jointer . Aqua Pure Water Filter lectrical Supplies ecuic Fan - Janny Steam Cleaner... Answering Machines Kenwood Amplifier "4-60 Gal Fuel Tanks Desks Metal Esil Filing Cabinets 12 Scool Desks Pius many items too numerous to mention. TERMS CASH** Anyone paying for major items with uncertified chaque may be raquirad fo leave the iter on the grounds until the cheque clears the Bank. _ KERRS. AUCTIONS Talkwa B.C, 846-5392 ! AUCTION 'SALEP} Hospital won’t back down, from its financial battle Dear Sir: . Over the last few weeks there has been a war . Of words raging in these pages over the deficit al Mills Memorial Hospital. ~~ ‘The hospital i is trying to alert the public that hospital services in Terrace and the norlhwest - are- underfunded, and if unaddressed the very existence of some of those services “ds threatened. _ Instead of offering to assist us we have been _ at attacked, Instead of offering constructive help | and support we have been told quite bluntly that we will not receive a review of hospital opera- ° tions, our budget will not be increased and we are to submit a balanced budget by Nov. 15. The board has ducted its administration to again review the budget and take actions to ensure we are min as efficiently as possible. But, we have also told administration not to cut beds - or reduce services. The hospital has worked too long and hard to establish the level of medical and diagnostic services available to Terrace and the northwest tegion to have it all disappear because the government is unwilling to spend the few. extra dollars it would take to keep things running. _ Specific questions have been raised and ac- cusations made and I will respond to each one: Q. Has the hospital,not explained to the health ministry the causes of the deficit or provided them with a plan to solve it? A.. The hospital began entering discussions with the health ministry in July when it became apparent that the budget would not balance this year. Since then we have met with a health ministry official, exchanged correspondence on the situa- tion, met a Sept. 7 deadline for information, missed an Oct. 18 deadline for information by one day and have committed to produce a plan by the mutually agreed to date of Nov. 15. We have not been withholding information on purpose as secms to be implied. We did fail to send in one document in June. Guilty as charged. It slipped between the cracks but no one made an issue of it until we started ‘asking for money, Q. Has the hospital’s budget been frozen for the last few years or hasn’t it? - ' A. The hospital received additional money for specific programs such as 75 per cent funding of the CT scanner’s operating costs, some grants through the Closer to Home process and other amounts for specific purposes. The budget has been frozen though to meet the pressures of provincially negotiated wage increases, the ongoing increases in statutory benefits and the constant pressure of non wage . inflation. Lie 3 tems .. Get a fourth item* | for just of Not resposidle for accidents « Lunch on the grounds CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The So while it is technically true that ihe hospital has received some new money our budget to meet the pressures: of funding the rest of the hospital has essentially been frozen. Q. If the hospital’s patient load has dropped » why has staffing increased? A. The hospital has done a fantastic job of reducing ‘inpatient days. We have done ex- traordinarily well in improving utilization and are an efficiently-run organization. | “The hospital has worked too long and hard to establish the level of medical and diagnostic Services available to have it all disappear because the govern- ment is unwilling to spend the few extra dollars it would take to keep things running.” If that wasn’t true, we would have been in fis- cal trouble a Jong time ago. While staffing has increased slightly in recent years with the intro- duction of CT scanning and a recent rise in in- patients, the fact remains the staff has been cut from 190 in 91/92 to the present 174. Q. Why is the hospilal using political pressure tactics to increase its budget? , A. We are trying to make the people of Ter- race and the northwest aware of the problems faced by the hospital. We are also trying to _mmake people aware of what is at risk if new ef- ficiencies and new funding are not found. Sure, we have gone to the public before and ‘sure we have had some success in getting fund- ing from government. It was right then and it is right now and it will be right whenever the public needs to know that things aren’t business. as usnal at Mills Memorial Hospital, : . Q. Why is the hospital making its plea to the ministry and not to the regional health board? ::: eR a : CB ren eh "Get a third item*. -forjust “te *of equal or lesser value _ Mail Bag moe month? A. We have made both the Terrace and: _ Health Council and the northwest ‘regional - health board aware of our problems, They are both supportive, The fact remains, however, ‘that they. don't - control the purse strings yet _ |. Tf the ministry doesn’t ensure that there is ade- ‘quate funding before the transfer then It will be ‘community Gighling community for dollars after the transfer. ~Q. How could the hospital move from: a - $200,000 surplus to a $120,000 deficit in-one A. Let’s put this into perspective, Compare the hospital budget to that of a family of four "with a househiald income of $50,000, It is the end of the year and you have managed to watch your pennies and save wherever you can. You find that you have $800 that you could do something with, Your family decides: that it is time to spend the money on some things which Should be done but which have been put off. You decide to paint the bedroom for $200, do a few minor répairs for $200 and buy a few ' things that you have been doing without for $200. You are careful, however, and you don’t spend the whole amount, leaving $200 for a rainy day. ; Then, unexpectedly, one of your children needs new glasses at $140, you need a root canal done at $300 and there’s a $240 repair bill for your car. You have now spent an additional $680 which is $480 more than your rainy day fund. The only way to pay the bills is to dip inta your savings account, The numbers are bigger at the hospital with its $125 million budget but the percentages are the same. In short, some of the expenses were within our. control at year end and some weren’t. Over the last few years we have had more years of surplus than deficit which means we were able to cover the deficit out of savings, Q. If all hospitals in B.C, are facing similar ' problems is there really a threat that our doctors will leave? _ A. Our doctors are first rate. and have the ability to move anywhere in the world. They choose to live here and will likely do so unlil they have no other choice but to move. Can they find work elsewherc? You're darn - right they can. So too; I might add, can most of the other skilled staff at the hospital. “Olga Power, Chairman, 7 e Terrace Regional Health PE Wena ate Care Society | Get a second item* for just 1