By Mario deSantis, January 23, 1999

In my previous writing(1) dated January 16/99, I expressed my immediate outrage to the incompetence and lack of leadership of our political and business leaders in addressing the Y2K(2) problem. It is alarming and mind boggling to realize that this incompetence is even evidenced by the same spokespersons publicizing the urgent issue to fix their Y2K Nightmare. The statement of Steve Hardcastle, Vice President of Finance for the Saskatoon District Health-SDH, that "...If an appropriate level of funding was in place to deal with this issue over the past few years, (Y2K) wouldn't have had such a large financial impact in the last year or year and a half..."(3) reveals that our healthcare accountants, instead of providing an overall systemic approach to the accountability and risks(4) of healthcare services, are still emphasizing bean counting, that is management by the numbers. Further, the statement by Jack Wilke, Project Director for the year 2000 Office of Saskatchewan Health, that "...It would've been nice to start sooner; but it was an issue that didn't percolate to the top as quickly as it should have..."(5) is an affirmation of the obsolete top down management approach of our bureaucracy(6) (7). Also, Wilke's additional statement that "...We need everybody to work as feverishly as they can..." is another example of the hypocritical governmental management approach to rally people for the wrong reasons, not for a just goal or a vision of the future(8), but to have an immediate fix(9) to systemic problems(10) (11). Our political leadership has totally failed in providing policy directions to support the ongoing technological changes which characterize the new Knowledge Economy(12) (13). Instead to support our most important asset, our people and unleash their creativity, our politicians and health care leaders have enforced an autocratic and fearful healthcare bureaucratic infrastructure where our freedoms have been curtailed and jeopardized(14). This is the reason why the Y2K Nightmare did not percolate to the top, because people at the bottom of the social and business pyramid cannot speak out for being afraid of losing their jobs(15). We live in scaring times, "...It's not democracy and it's not public accountability, but it's the way the government wants it..."(16)

For the sake of curiosity, I researched for any mentioning of the Y2K problem through the reports of the Provincial Auditor. I found that the 1995 Fall Report addressed the Information Technology issues of management and security, and such issues were again addressed in the 1996 Spring Report. Beginning with the 1997 Spring Report, the Provincial Auditor highlighted the importance of the year 2000 challenges and opportunities by dedicating a specific section for this matter in his subsequent Reports. Every governmental agency and all the provincial health care district boards are required to have their books audited, and every Chartered Accountant is aware of the publications sponsored by The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) including the Guidance for Directors-The Millenium Bug (1998). It is true that the Y2K Nightmare could not percolate to the top echelon of health care districts and Saskatchewan Health because of their pyramidal infrastructure, but it is also true that the Y2K problem was conveyed to any responsible body through the individual districts' auditing reports and the Reports of the Provincial Auditor. I have been personally advocating changes to overcome the pervasive obsolete management philosophy of "Command and Control"(17); and I have specifically identified the wastes of taxpayers' money directly related to the computerization of healthcare facilities based on long waits(18) and megaprojects(19). I have paid a grave price for the courage to expose the corruptions taking place in healthcare, and my family and I had to endure threats(20) (21) along with the hidden and related social economic repercussions(22) from most powerful people and agencies; no, the Y2K Nightmare in health care is not due to either a lack of leadership(23) or incompetence of our leaders(24), this is plain corruption(25).

Endnotes

1. Incompetence in dealing with Y2K, by Mario deSantis, January 18, 1999. Published in the North Central Internet News

2. The Y2K problem-Y2K means Year 2000-refers to older computer programs which allocated only the last two digits, instead of the required four digits, for storing the calendar year date; for example, the year 1994 is stored by these older programs by the two digits: 94, and the year 2000 would be stored as 00, that is as meaningless data.

3. Article: Y2K nightmare: Health district faces $30-million bill to prepare for 2000, by Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix of Saskatoon, January 15, 1999

4. 1998 Fall Report, Provincial Auditor Saskatchewan, Chapter 1 "Control Helps Achieve Results". In addition refer to the Criteria of Control Board (CoCo), an initiative of The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants http://www.auditor.sk.ca http://www.cica.ca

5. Article: Y2K menu downloads cash crisis: Saskatchewan health districts face $100-million computer upgrade, by Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix of Saskatoon, January 16, 1999

6. NEED OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN SASKATCHEWAN: The Learning Organization, and Knowledge Economy by Mario deSantis, September 20, 1998. Published in the North Central Internet News

7. THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE: The Arts & Practice of The Learning Organization, by Peter M. Senge, Doubleday, Paperback Edition 1994. http://www.brint.com/OrgLrng.htm

8. Working Together Toward WELLNESS. A Saskatchewan Vision for Health, by The Honourable Louise Simard, Minister of Health, Government of Saskatchewan, August 1992

9. The Fifth Discipline, Fieldbook, by P. Senge, A. Kleiner, C. Roberts, R. Ross, B. Smith. Currency Doubleday, 1994, (pp 125-129, "Fixes that Backfire")

10. Letter dated April 28, 1997 from Mario deSantis directed to all Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers of Saskatchewan District Health Boards. Re: Computerization of Health Care Payroll and Economic Policies. http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-letterToChairsCEOs-Apr28-97.htm

11. NEED OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN SASKATCHEWAN: Healthcare Reform and New Economic Policies, Part 6. Public interest and the need for restructuring the operations of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations. By Mario deSantis, April 30, 1997. Published in the North Central Internet News on November 29, 1998

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

13. Coping with Changes. An Overview of the Learning Organization, Knowledge Economy, and Current Practices in Information Technology Applications, by Mario deSantis, July 1997 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-coping_changes.htm 

14. NEED OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN SASKATCHEWAN: Healthcare Reform and New Economic Policies, Part 1. By Mario deSantis, October 18, 1998. Published in the North Central Internet News

15. Article: SUN decries gag order. Memo reminder of confidentiality rule: health board, by James Parker, The StarPhoenix, May 8, 1998, Saskatoon.

16. Article: Secrets harm health board in voters' eyes, SP Opinions-last sentence-page C4, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan January 16, 1999

17. The performance and accountability challenge-Part IV, by James Q. McCrindell, CMA Magazine February 95

18. Conversation Paper: Economic policies for the computerization of accounting and payroll functions of Saskatchewan District Health Boards. Meeting of July 15, 1996 between Brian Rourke, Chairperson of SAHO, Arliss Wright, President and CEO of SAHO, and Mario deSantis of DigiCare. Prepared by Mario deSantis, July 12, 1996. http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/Paper-ConversationSAHO-Jl12-96.htm

19. 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

20. Reprint of the letter dated May 7, 1997 from McKercher McKercher & Whitmore directed to DigiCare Systems Group, attention of Mario deSantis. Replica constructed by Mario deSantis http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-letters-McKercher-deSantis-May97.htm

21. E-Mail received 12/7/98 and dated December 6, 1998 from Randy Langard, Lawyer for Hewitt Helmsing, directed to Timothy Shire and Mario deSantis. Published in the North Central Internet News http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign

22. EXAMPLES OF MENTAL MODELS IN SASKATCHEWAN HEALTH CARE AND RACISM, by Mario deSantis, August 2, 1998. Published in the North Central Internet News

23. Article: Province must lead on Y2K, SP Opinions, page A4, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan January 18, 1999

24. Bureaucratic Incompetence and Talks between CUPE and SAHO, by Mario deSantis, January 9, 1999. Published in the North Central Internet News

25. NEED OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN SASKATCHEWAN: Healthcare Reform and New Economic Policies, Part 3. Is the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) above the Law? By Mario deSantis, November 1, 1998. Published in the North Central Internet News