By Mario deSantis, January 10, 1999

Saskatchewan healthcare should be the shining light(1) to the world, however it continues to be plagued by a system which is jokingly referred to as health reform(2). Our leaders are not understanding that we are going through social and economic changes, and instead to prepare ourselves to face the challenges and opportunities of the Knowledge Economy(3) they i)deliver insignificant speeches highlighting the superiority of socialism over individualism(4), ii)follow an obsolete "mean and lean"(5) economic philosophy, iii)argue with the professionalism and work of Wayne Strelioff (6), Provincial Auditor, and iv)promote a regressive business growth based on healthcare megaprojects(7), out of province transfer of businesses(8), and gambling(9). And to make things worse, a greater proportion of our children are being deprived of a decent upbringing(10), our cities have one of the highest homicide rates in North America(11), our privacy rights are being jeopardized(12), discrimination is rampant and institutionalized in the Justice system(13), and nobody can speak out for the fear of losing their jobs(14).

This is a brief record of our present government which for some reasons I was compelled to write as a response to reading today's article "Health-care talks prove weird" by Murray Mandryk in the StarPhoenix. I found this article quite remarkable and to the point in reporting the miserable accountability and conflicts of interest affecting the talks between the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO). The President of the CUPE health care council, Stephen Foley, is at the same time a representative of the union and a board member of  South Central Health District represented by SAHO. SAHO, on the other hand, represents the healthcare districts and indirectly the provincial government. CUPE and Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) have repeatedly requested to have a government representative in their negotiating talks with SAHO, but their requests have been ignored. In this article, Mandryk covers the CUPE's stance for wage parity, the lack of homework on the part of SAHO, and the incompetence of  the government in creating and managing the healthcare system. The state of the talks between CUPE and SAHO are qualified by Mandryk as preposterous, ridiculous, and ludicrous.

There is no life without hope, and what we are left with is hoping for better things in the future.

Endnotes

1. NOTES FOR REMARKS by Premier Roy Romanow, to the Annual Convention of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, Saturday, Nov. 22, 1997: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/saskndp/SPEECHES/convention_speech_97.html

2. "Health-care talks prove weird," by Murray Mandryk, The StarPhoenix, Weekend Forum, January 9, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

3. @Brint is one of the best research sites on Knowledge Management; created by Dr. Yogesh Malhotra: http://www.brint.com/

4. NOTES FOR REMARKS by Premier Roy Romanow, to the Annual Convention of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, Saturday, Nov. 22, 1997: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/saskndp/SPEECHES/convention_speech_97.html

5. "Sears CEO, Arthur Martinez, says, 'You can't shrink your way to greatness'". Quotation from the essay: Gain The Collaborative Advantage! by Robert Hargrove: http://www.mgeneral.com/3-now/98-now/032898rh.htm

6. Recent reports of the Provincial Auditor with particular reference to Saskatchewan Power Corporation and Workers' Compensation Board. http://www.auditor.sk.ca

7. . Paper: A Historical Perspective of The Saskatchewan Health Information Network, by Mario deSantis and James deSantis, March 1998 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-SHIN.htm

8. Transfer of the insurance company Crown Life, from Toronto, Ontario to Regina, Saskatchewan

9. Refer to the Channel Lake affairs; articles in the StarPhoenix of Saskatoon, dated April 11, 1998, page Local A11: Asleep at the switch, by M. Wyatt, Ministers condoned risky trading: report, by Bonny Braden, Commission deal sweet for Channel Lake buyer: Grits, by Chris Varcoe. Also, refer to the article in the StarPhoenix, dated April 17, 1998, page A3: Risks part of business, Messer says, by Bonny Braden.

10. Article: UN report slams Canada, The StarPhoenix, December 5, 1998, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

11. Message from Newsgroups: sk.politics pertinent to 8 murders in Regina for the year 1998. Subject: Murders: "We're No. 1!", Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 23:05:37 GMT, From: cawatk@my-dejanews.com, Organization: Deja News - The Leader in Internet Discussion Newsgroups: sk.politics

12. Privacy, not price matters: Strelioff, Leader-Post, Regina, Saskatchewan, Sept. 26, 1997. Comment: The consolidation of medical records could provide the background for i)the end of the trust relationship between physicians and their clients, and ii)the breakdown of the economic principle to provide medical services against a fee Health privacy concerns raised, by Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix, October 24, 1998, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

13. Racism no longer a matter of debate, by Randy Burton, The StarPhoenix, July 21, 1998, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

14. Article: SUN decries gag order: Memo reminder of confidentiality rule, health board, by James Parker, The Star Phoenix, THIRD PAGE, May 8, 1998 Article: Judge unlocks MLA expenses, by Mark Wyatt, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, January 9, 1999. Refer to former MLA Bob Lyons who did not want to disclose the names of his former constituency assistants for the eventuality of another political blood letting.