ni

T
som Sapa eta atone og cen en at TR EE SS

$700,000. The board is ..
-answerable to the Minis-

therefore we were able to continue with the same |
-Jevel of services to the ‘community. He stated that
Mills Memorial ‘Hospital is a victim of its. own

success. The hospital functions as a regional referral
centre: The government, however, ° won't fund the"

hospital: as a regional centre. Remember that’ Mr.” :
Walker. was appointed by the government. This new.
‘budget does not even include the increased funding -
. +.» grow and offer an even wider range of se
_ Because of this. ‘grossly, inadequate budget, the * as more specialists, ‘CT scanner, etc. This proposed
hospital board of trustees is forced. into an untenable “
me operate, as a community hospital without jserious

that Mr. Walker suggested | last year.

situation. ‘There are three options.
‘The. first option isto)
continue: gervices as «|:

cardiologist. There would be no one to look after
people from this region with: complicated heart.
disease or other internal medicine problems. The
government fails to realize what a major expense and

o--ieonvenience it is’ to"have to go to Varicétiver for

tests; surgery, etc. This ‘hospital - functions’ ‘as a
regional referral centre and should be funded. as
such. This would enable your hospital to eae to

ces, such

budget does not allow Mills Memorial Hospital to

--debt, much.’ "Tess ‘as a
growing regional referral |

| beftre. This will result in = — cz — —_ _—___—_—
_,.. “Because-of this grossly .
7 inadequate budget, the hospital
_ board of trustees is forced into
an untenable situation. There —

.. afe three options...” |

a. ‘deficit, of more than

try of Health and have
been told to balance the
budget . or the. govern- |
ment ‘will dismiss the
board’ and replace them

centre. This budget will

_ «also result in the léss of

- about 10-25 jobs .at the
hospital. ~.

The third option is —

_ political pressure. This is

the best. solution to a

serious ‘threat to health

care services available to

with a " public trustee. -
The board is comprised

_ of local people concerned cota
with ‘the state of health ¢ care available to you. A.

government appointee would be a faceless bureaucrat
from, the lower. ‘mainland, His only concern. ‘would be

to balance the budget. The destruction of local health

care gérvices would be of little consequence to him.
“The second option would be to balance thé
budget, an equally unpalatable solution. To do this

- would require the elimination of health care services

to the people of Terrace and the region. Beds would

have to be closed. ‘This would result in longer waiting

lists for surgety. The Department of Surgery is stable

eae a

att ‘the present time; however, by closing beds, the

one or both of the anesthetists may well be forced to

leave. Should that happen, then the Department. of.

Surgery would collapse and: disintegrate. This would

result in loss of surgical services. at Mills Memorial
Hospital. The hospital would be reduced to a cottage

~ hospital. It would ‘be able to offer only basic emer-
. gency and surgical services. All complex, high-risk

surgery and the majority of elective surgery that is

_ done here now would have to go elsewhere. It has

been. difficult to attract Canadian-trained graduates
here, and the hospital has been fortunate in being
able to recruit several well-trained foreign graduate
specialists. However, the government is making’ it
difficult, to the ‘point of impossibility to ‘continue

. along these lines. This manpower pool will therefore

be lost to us. A bed closure may result in the-closing

of the pediatric ward. Should this occur our’ pedia- -

trician will be forced’ to relocate. All seriously ill

children would have to be flown to the lower main- .
land for care. The same dilemma will occur with our.

18. a “Terrace Review _ May 8, 1992

you. It is- apparent. that
Ms. Cull is not going to.
give our hospital board |
the time of day. A . ood example is her ‘refusal to.
meet with the board to discuss “operating funding for’

the CT scanner. Ms. Cull’s ‘response for meeting

requests for budget discussion would ‘undoubtedly be
the same. The only thing that politicians respond. to
is public outery. If the community wishes to maintain
the present standard of local health care, it must

. rally behind the hospital. It is time our government

recognizes the Pacific Northwest as a growing, vital
and integral region of this province. We are not
second class citizens. Write or call Mr. Giesbrecht or
Ms. Cull. -Let:them know that. we are not going. to

-accept this ridiculous scenario. The future of our

hospital depends on this. This may. sound like a
worse case scenario. It is,.and unfortunately Will

‘become a reality should this NDP government be

allowed to demolish. our health’ care system.
Speak outs :
dim Dunfield, M. D., FR. CS. ©),
_— Chief of Surgery,
Mills Memorial Hospital,
" Terrace

FREEDOM OF BELIEF

To the Editor;

I am writing this in response to the letter from
Ms. Laurel Gregg. (Terrace Review, April 16, 1992)..1
think’ it is a real shame that someone has been

‘removing the posters : advertising her spiritual centre.

Freedom of religion is guaranteed to the people of
this nation under the Charter of Rights and Free-