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Health authority saves money by cutting health services
by Scott Gilbreath ~ December 3rd, 2008
Isn’t the purpose of a regional health authority to provide health services? Nova Scotia’s Capital Health District seems to have trouble with that concept.
Capital district health authority administrators said Tuesday they’re planning to cope with a projected $7-million budget deficit by authorizing, among other things, lighter schedules for operating rooms, less discretionary spending, reductions to staff overtime and administrative support and changes to patients’ menus.
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One of the biggest planned changes is to extend a one-week slowdown for elective surgeries during spring break to three additional weeks. This move will chop more than $1.3 million from the budget.There will be a slowdown for two weeks in February and two weeks in March. During these periods, surgical activity is to be reduced by 50 per cent. Emergency operations and life-saving procedures won’t be affected.
“We will be serving 1,000 patients less by going (into) slowdown” for four weeks instead of just one, said Dr. Jaap Bonjer, chief of surgery for Capital Health.
“Slowdown”? Isn’t that what labour unions do during contract disputes?
How does the “slowdown” fit into the province’s commitment to reduce wait times? Since the province apparently collects no data on wait times, it will probably make no difference.
If Capital Health is unable to perform needed surgeries, why not let patients obtain services from the private sector? Oh, right: That’s illegal. The government is obviously a far superior supplier of health services.
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December 4th, 2008 at 03:30 PM
[...] CANAJIN HEALF KARE: Health authority saves money by cutting health services …. [...]