Just a note to say that in 2011 75% of terminally ill people died in hospital. Some of these had lengthy stays keeping acute bed occupied for months. This eventually leads to the hospital functioning above 100% capacity and directly effects patient care as nurses workloads are increased. I have been trying to initiate a palliative care hospice for the last 7 months but can secure no funding from the Department of Health. It would save the health care system money, open beds to acute care where they are needed, and allow palliative patients to live in a homelike setting and die with dignity and respect as they well deserve. Will Nova Scotia ever jump on board the Palliative Care Hospice initiative so proposed by Canada Health and the National Palliative Hospice Care Association??
Dear Bill, You argue that the Minister of Health should have the courage to own the problem. I agree. But we both know that this will never happen because politicians are selected by a popularity contest.
In my view, Government has a role to play in health care but it should not be a monopoly role. I predict that the monopoly will only break after Government breaks. With a little luck, I might live long enough to see it happen. If not, I shall count myself doubly-lucky.
Bill; There are some very useful opportunities for change and economy in your suggestions . Change must start at the ministerial level, but actual proposals should receive balanced debate not just knee-jerk criticisms for the various interest groups. We are in a crisis now which will unfold increasingly ove rthe next few years. I am concerned that we (all of us, the public, the unions, the professionals and the politicians) will not act until the crisis is much worse and we all resort to name-calling.
There has been so very much government ‘machinery’ put in place, that only a swarm of management pretenders can keep it in place. That system, we know leads to lineups for the entitlement expected.
If you know your car has a problem, you go to your choice of a garage, and have it fixed. You pay the bill. What would happen if you lined up for ‘entitled car service’? You’d have a long wait, and you might not be satisfied with the repair, but it would be free – until you paid your tax bill. Satisfaction?
Privatize medical clinics. Unload the line-ups at the regional hospitals. We are either entitled to choice, or …more queues.
Surely we’ve had time to decide on a more ‘queueless’ way.
Every time we hear talk of money in this province we are always getting a “spin”, never any hard facts or numbers. There is no need in this day and age for the taxpayer to be always trying to figure out what is going one when it comes to the revenue and expenses of government, let alone any part of government. So who really benefits by keeping us in the dark? Ever thought that it might be the bureaucrats ? We tend to blame the politicians and they too are part of the problem by not acting like “management” should. Now besides the dollars, we should also see the product , the output, some measurement data on what the department produces.
I belong to a grassroots organization for which I am spokesperson. The organization is called the ACE Team (Advocates for the Care of the Elderly). I have been involved with issues concerning the health care system for the past six years. I have viewed the deficiencies of the health care system from street level and it is not pretty. Patient centered care is practically non-existent due to the top heavy administrative structure. We have had numerous studies and magnitudes of research done by the Corpus Sanchez Corp., the Romanow Report, and individuals like Dr. Michael Rachlis and, most recently, Dr. Jock Murray, all pointing to a top heavy administrative structure. Last year, former Auditor General Sheila Fraser indicated the same thing in her report on Canada’s Health Care system, yet every time there are cuts, it involves the staff that directly affects patient care. The people at the top do not want to jeopardize their pocketbook and will not do what is right and that is to downsize their own little empires. The people beneath them
Are nothing but numbers as far as they are concerned. It will take nothing short of an Arab Spring to get them to think otherwise and I hope it never comes to that.
It seems to me the Dept of Health has to immediately look at another “crisis’ coming over the horizon very soon. If we see 5000 new residents (including their families) in HRM because of the ship building contract and we already have an acute shortage in several catagories of physicians and nurses how does the Dept of Health plan to attack that significant shortage?
Sooner or later we will have to deal with the issue of co-pay and a means test.We cannot continue to meet the spiraling health care costs with an aging population and decreasing work force.
This must be removed from the political forum and the three major parties must accept shared responsibility for it’s implementation.This is what leadership is about.
Consideration should be given to tax incentives to keep elderly patients in their homes or with family members when their health conditions permit.
Construction and maintenance of hospitals should be privatized–what were/are the cost overruns on the hospitals in Amherest and Truro.Internal operations would be left with the downsized,both in number and personnel,Boards.
There are other aspects I would like to comment on but don’t really have facts to support a definitive position
Let me comment on the number of regional health authorities. Why only reduce two or three? I believe that if we are going to make change we should make material change. I am a proponent of only four regional authorities – Capital Health, Cape Breton, South-West Nova (Valley, South Shore, Yarmouth) and Central Nova (NB to Cape Breton).
Rather then starting with the current nine and making minor reductions let’s build from the bottom up and ask ourselves the reasons for any more then these four, i.e. one should need to demonstrate how the delivery of health care is improved by any more.
By the way I would mirror this re school boards – I don’t understand why there should be any more then four (plus Acadien and First Nation) school boards given the population of Nova Scotia.
Just a note to say that in 2011 75% of terminally ill people died in hospital. Some of these had lengthy stays keeping acute bed occupied for months. This eventually leads to the hospital functioning above 100% capacity and directly effects patient care as nurses workloads are increased. I have been trying to initiate a palliative care hospice for the last 7 months but can secure no funding from the Department of Health. It would save the health care system money, open beds to acute care where they are needed, and allow palliative patients to live in a homelike setting and die with dignity and respect as they well deserve. Will Nova Scotia ever jump on board the Palliative Care Hospice initiative so proposed by Canada Health and the National Palliative Hospice Care Association??
Kellie Mullins | September 12, 2012 |
Dear Bill, You argue that the Minister of Health should have the courage to own the problem. I agree. But we both know that this will never happen because politicians are selected by a popularity contest.
In my view, Government has a role to play in health care but it should not be a monopoly role. I predict that the monopoly will only break after Government breaks. With a little luck, I might live long enough to see it happen. If not, I shall count myself doubly-lucky.
Brian Sanderson | September 2, 2012 |
Bill; There are some very useful opportunities for change and economy in your suggestions . Change must start at the ministerial level, but actual proposals should receive balanced debate not just knee-jerk criticisms for the various interest groups. We are in a crisis now which will unfold increasingly ove rthe next few years. I am concerned that we (all of us, the public, the unions, the professionals and the politicians) will not act until the crisis is much worse and we all resort to name-calling.
JDC | October 28, 2011 |
There has been so very much government ‘machinery’ put in place, that only a swarm of management pretenders can keep it in place. That system, we know leads to lineups for the entitlement expected.
If you know your car has a problem, you go to your choice of a garage, and have it fixed. You pay the bill. What would happen if you lined up for ‘entitled car service’? You’d have a long wait, and you might not be satisfied with the repair, but it would be free – until you paid your tax bill. Satisfaction?
Privatize medical clinics. Unload the line-ups at the regional hospitals. We are either entitled to choice, or …more queues.
Surely we’ve had time to decide on a more ‘queueless’ way.
gordon stanfield | October 26, 2011 |
Every time we hear talk of money in this province we are always getting a “spin”, never any hard facts or numbers. There is no need in this day and age for the taxpayer to be always trying to figure out what is going one when it comes to the revenue and expenses of government, let alone any part of government. So who really benefits by keeping us in the dark? Ever thought that it might be the bureaucrats ? We tend to blame the politicians and they too are part of the problem by not acting like “management” should. Now besides the dollars, we should also see the product , the output, some measurement data on what the department produces.
PS | October 25, 2011 |
I belong to a grassroots organization for which I am spokesperson. The organization is called the ACE Team (Advocates for the Care of the Elderly). I have been involved with issues concerning the health care system for the past six years. I have viewed the deficiencies of the health care system from street level and it is not pretty. Patient centered care is practically non-existent due to the top heavy administrative structure. We have had numerous studies and magnitudes of research done by the Corpus Sanchez Corp., the Romanow Report, and individuals like Dr. Michael Rachlis and, most recently, Dr. Jock Murray, all pointing to a top heavy administrative structure. Last year, former Auditor General Sheila Fraser indicated the same thing in her report on Canada’s Health Care system, yet every time there are cuts, it involves the staff that directly affects patient care. The people at the top do not want to jeopardize their pocketbook and will not do what is right and that is to downsize their own little empires. The people beneath them
Are nothing but numbers as far as they are concerned. It will take nothing short of an Arab Spring to get them to think otherwise and I hope it never comes to that.
Gary MacLeod | October 25, 2011 |
I believe the problem with our health care system has less to do with money and more to do with management.
http://helphealthcare.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/nova-scotia-health-care-is-management-not-money-the-real-issue/
Allan Lynch | October 25, 2011 |
It seems to me the Dept of Health has to immediately look at another “crisis’ coming over the horizon very soon. If we see 5000 new residents (including their families) in HRM because of the ship building contract and we already have an acute shortage in several catagories of physicians and nurses how does the Dept of Health plan to attack that significant shortage?
Name | October 24, 2011 |
Sooner or later we will have to deal with the issue of co-pay and a means test.We cannot continue to meet the spiraling health care costs with an aging population and decreasing work force.
This must be removed from the political forum and the three major parties must accept shared responsibility for it’s implementation.This is what leadership is about.
Consideration should be given to tax incentives to keep elderly patients in their homes or with family members when their health conditions permit.
Construction and maintenance of hospitals should be privatized–what were/are the cost overruns on the hospitals in Amherest and Truro.Internal operations would be left with the downsized,both in number and personnel,Boards.
There are other aspects I would like to comment on but don’t really have facts to support a definitive position
Bill Fenton | October 24, 2011 |
Bill, again a number of thought provoking ideas.
Let me comment on the number of regional health authorities. Why only reduce two or three? I believe that if we are going to make change we should make material change. I am a proponent of only four regional authorities – Capital Health, Cape Breton, South-West Nova (Valley, South Shore, Yarmouth) and Central Nova (NB to Cape Breton).
Rather then starting with the current nine and making minor reductions let’s build from the bottom up and ask ourselves the reasons for any more then these four, i.e. one should need to demonstrate how the delivery of health care is improved by any more.
By the way I would mirror this re school boards – I don’t understand why there should be any more then four (plus Acadien and First Nation) school boards given the population of Nova Scotia.
Norm Collins | October 24, 2011 |