By Mario deSantis, February 4, 2000

The saga of the mismanagement of healthcare resources continues to demand more and more work from our autocratic politicians and bureaucrats. Without a vision to provide a consistent direction for allocating our resources, our politicians and bureaucrats raise their fingers to the sky, check where the wind is blowing, and as a consequence they make decisions. Their obsession in saving money rather than taking care of people, has caused this government to be out of touch with the people and create a chronic environment of confusion where more money is wasted, and where the few and privileged help themselves to become richer at the expense of others.

Few weeks ago, a patient died at a Weyburn hospital while he was waiting for being transferred to a Regina hospital(1). Rather than acknowledge the shortage of beds as a factor contributing to the death of this patient, Pat Atkinson, Minister of Health, stated that the patient was not transferred to Regina because his doctors failed to clearly indicate the urgency of the case. Again, last Christmas Eve, a North Battleford man died while waiting for emergency surgery(2). In this case, the emergency surgery was not performed since the Battlefords Health District closed the ICU unit for the period December 16 to January 2 because of a nursing shortage.

Again, a shortage of nursing staff has caused a shortage of beds, and a shortage of beds has caused the death of another patient. Talking to the delegates of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) convention in Regina, Pat Atkinson has stated that the government is facing tighter budgets and she cannot assure that all existing Saskatchewan hospitals will remain open(3).

As more patients are dying because of a shortage of beds, as staff is being intimidated at our hospitals(4), and as people are becoming more anxious because of Pat Atkinson's intention to cut additional hospital beds, the more our health care system resembles a gambling casino where our politicians play games with our lives. Again and again we will see our politicians and bureaucrats raising their fingers to the sky while we wait anxiously for the next multiple directions in health care. I have nothing to say but exclaim "Bad Luck in your gambling Honourable Pat Atkinson.!"

Endnotes

1. Pat Atkinson: blaming the doctors for the deaths of patients, by Mario deSantis, January 17, 2000

2. Gov't launches review into death, by Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix, February 3, 2000, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

3. Future uncertain for rural hospitals: closure possible because of tight budgets, Atkinson, by Neil Scott, The StarPhoenix, February 3, 2000, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

4. Intimidation: Management style at Saskatoon District Health, by Mario deSantis, January 27, 2000