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Saskatchewan Health Care:
Mississippi Burning

By Mario deSantis, Februrary 26, 2000

Friday morning I read the CBC-News(1) on the WWW and I noticed that Glen Beck, professor of health economics at the University of Saskatchewan, has stated that something has to change in health care "the health boards tell us we don't have the money. The government says they did give them enough money... So we end up in this circle. That I don't think can last." In the meantime Brian Rourke(2), a Big Brain(3) and the Supreme Asset of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations(4), has been stating that many districts are dealing with rising costs and that "districts to some extent have been relying on reserves up to now and a number of them have used up reserves and there are ongoing pressures because of increase demands for service and unfortunately the dollars haven't kept with demands." Two days ago, Pat Atkinson, Minister of Health, dissolved the board of the East Central Health District(5), installed a public administrator and stated that the "money problems with this board are so serious that pay-cheques would start bouncing in about two weeks without another loan(6)."

We have no vision for health care, our leaders have been making decisions raising their fingers to the sky(7) and now we have acknowledged management fires all over the health care system. The solution to our healthcare fires is to combat fire with fire as we continue to have further health researches and a health governance by edicts.

The National Post has recently referred to Saskatchewan as the Mississippi of the North(8) but as we are experiencing these management fires along with rampant racism(9) a more appropriate label would be the "Mississippi Burning(10)"of the year 1964.

We referred to Glen Beck when we praised his vocal stance to support changes for a more democratic running of the University of Saskatchewan(11). Today, we have to praise again Professor Beck, in fact, contrary to conventional wisdom, he is not taking side for either the government or the health districts when he states that something has to change in healthcare. Professor Beck is now beginning to understand that the reciprocal blaming of the government and health districts is just a game to cover up their mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds. We have two outlaws in the government and SAHO(12), and no matter their dealings, the public will pay the price for their corrupted behaviour.

A Big Thank You to Professor Beck for joining the few people who are beginning to understand that 'we have met the enemy and he is us(13) .'

Endnotes

General reference: Articles by Mario deSantis published by North Central Internet News http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/authors/desantis.html

1. Hospital administrations under scrutiny CBC Saskatchewan http://sask.cbc.ca/ Web Posted | Feb 24 2000 9:14 PM EST

2. Never enough money for SAHO, by Mario deSantis, March 30, 1999

3. Healthcare Payroll and SAHO's Big Brains, by Mario deSantis, November 20, 1999

4. Saskatchewan Health Information Network-SHIN: Ignoring its mandate and diverting money for the Y2K Nightmare, by Mario deSantis, November 3, 1999

5. GOVERNMENT ACTS TO STABILIZE HEALTH CARE IN EAST CENTRAL News Release, Health - 74, February 23, 2000 http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/2000/02/23-74.html

6. Province takes over Yorkton-area health district, CBC Saskatchewan http://sask.cbc.ca/ Web Posted | Feb 23 2000 1:14 PM EST

7. Pat Atkinson: raising the finger and turning healthcare to a gambling casino, by Mario deSantis, February 3, 2000

8. Mississippi of the North?, by Adam Killick, National Post, February 05, 2000 http://www.nationalpost.com

9. Saskatoon police officer accuses fellow officers of racism CBC Saskatchewan. Constable Charlene Lavallee is Metis, and has been a special constable with the Saskatoon force for 6 years. She has stated "I think there's racism towards all the aboriginal officers, and it's kind of in the context of you got to fit in, or you won't be here. You've got to conform. And if you make waves, we'll make it rough." She's launched a Human Rights complaint against Saskatoon's Board of Police Commissioners. http://sask.cbc.ca/ Web Posted | Feb 22 2000 9:42 PM EST

10. MISSISSIPPI BURNING, by Roger Ebert, date of publication: 12/09/1988 http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1988/12/328325.html

11. ROMANOW'S LEGACY: MORTGAGING THE FUTURE OF SASKATCHEWAN, by Mario deSantis, April 25, 1999, 7:00 AM

12. Saskatchewan Healthcare: Breaking the Law & Mismanagement, by Mario deSantis, January 20, 2000

13. Simplicity The new competitive Advantage, by Bill Jensen, Perseus Books, page 109, January 2000 http://www.simplerwork.com/j/manifesto-read.html