Skip to main content

Why are both Shared Health and the WRHA managing hospitals in Winnipeg? Isn't this duplication?

The Pallister government has announced its plans for Shared Health and part of its role will be managing the Health Sciences Centre.  This means that most Winnipeg hospitals will be managed by the WRHA and one, the Health Sciences Centre, will be managed by Shared Health.  Having two organizations managing hospitals in Winnipeg is adding extra bureaucracy and duplication.    I asked the Minister of Health why he is doing this?  My question and the Minister's response from June 21 are below: 
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): My question to the Minister of Health: He has recently brought in the transformation report last week. One of the significant questions is why the minister has chosen to include the Health Sciences Centre in with Shared Health. The result of doing this is that he will have, under his ministry, two organizations managing hospitals in Winnipeg.
      This hardly seems efficient to have two organizations managing hospitals in Winnipeg, and so I ask the minister, you know, why has he included the Health Sciences Centre in with Shared Health rather than leaving it within the WRHA?
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living): Thank the member for River Heights (Mr. Gerrard) for the question.
      Shared Health is designed to deal with services that are provincial in nature, so, as an example, EMS is moving under Shared Health as a result of its provincial lens and provincial service delivery. There has been a recommendation by Dr. Rush in  the VIRGO report to also move services under addictions, so AFM or an entity like that also under Shared Health because there is a provincial nature to the delivery of those services.
      Likewise, the Health Sciences Centre is the provincial trauma centre for Manitoba. You know, essentially, anybody who is undergoing a significant traumatic effect is going to the Health Sciences Centre, regardless of where you are in Manitoba. STARS now flies directly to the Health Sciences Centre with the opening of the helipad 13 or 14 months ago. And so it made sense to recognize Health Sciences for what it is, a provincial hospital operating provincially, and it will be housed in Shared Health for that reason.
Mr. Gerrard: There are a variety of provincial services which are not necessarily located, for example, in the Health Sciences Centre. St. Boniface is a centre for cardiac issues and has an  international reputation in terms of cardiac care and cardiac surgery. Misericordia is a centre for ophthalmology, eye care, and, again, has a reputation in western Canada and internationally for the kind of care that it gives. Concordia has, up until recently–we're not sure what the future is–has been a major centre for orthopedics and hips and knees.
      So, clearly, there are other hospitals and health centres which have got, you know, elements which are provincial in nature. Managing a hospital would not appear to be all that different from one to another. And while clearly one wants to be able to make sure that there is some standardization of the delivery province-wide of specialist services, which I believe is what the minister is talking about, it would not appear necessary to put the Health Sciences Centre under Shared Health for that reason alone. And so I would just make the case that there is an alternate point of view. And the minister has put his point of view, and I give him an alternate point of view. 

Comments

  1. Canadian Seniors June 26, 2018 at 11:29 AM

    Ask the tough questions Jon as the majority of us know that this duplication of services is another expenditure that is going to take another significant portion of the health care dollars away from direct care for patients in this province. Currently WRHA takes 1/3 of the health care dollars so not much will be left when you add on another administrative office with all the necessary (?) paraphernalia.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dougald Lamont speaks at Meth Forum last night to present positive ideas to address the epidemic, while exposing the lack of action by the Pallister Conservatives

Last night at the Notre Dame Recreation Centre in St. Boniface, at an Election Forum on the Meth Crisis in Manitoba, Dougald Lamont spoke eloquently about the severity of the meth epidemic and described the Liberal plan to address it.  The Liberal Plan will make sure that there is a single province-wide phone number for people, or friends of people, who need help dealing with meth to call (as there is in Alberta) and that there will be rapid access to a seamless series of steps - stabilization, detoxification, treatment, extended supportive housing etc so that people with meth addiction can be helped well and effectively and so that they can rebuild their lives.  The Liberal meth plan will be helped by our approach to mental health (putting psychological therapies under medicare), and to poverty (providing better support).  It will also be helped by our vigorous efforts to help young people understand the problems with meth in our education system and to provide alternative positive
3 comments
Read more

Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March.  South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory.   The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions.   This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14.  Manitoba ( red line )  started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then.   South Dakota ( blue line )   has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4.  Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations
18 comments
Read more

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

  On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.  
Post a Comment
Read more