Since 1997 I have addressed the squandering of money allocated for the building of the Saskatchewan Health Information Network (SHIN), then as I was unable to have any attention in this issue I went on to tackle other social issues. But all these social issues have a common denominator, that is the unwillingness to change our mentality which for too long has been focused too much on 'looking after #1' at the expense of people at large. And this 'looking after #1' mentality is entrenched in our Saskatchewan health care system; our leaders can agree or they can disagree among each other but the bottom line is always the same: going happily to the bank and fatten their bellies as they deceive people at large.

There is no way anymore to point out the mistakes we make because as we fix our mistakes we create many more mistakes. So our social problems are not really anymore of pointing out mistakes and blame the related leaders for these mistakes. Our main social problem is to identify the inadequacy of the social economic gospel to look after #1.

Going back to the SHIN health network I have pointed out in my writing how this 'treasury board crown corporation' was created with the participation of health care guru Brian Rourke and Saskatchewan Health. It is my understanding that SHIN has behaved as a sacred cow to abscond the incompetence of our health care leadership. Let me just say that while the main goal of the network was to build a centralized medical information system for all Saskatchewan residents, this network project was used to divert money into many other areas such as coping with the Y2K nightmare and the many Telehealth blunders.

Now I am going to give you examples high lightening the exasperating mentality of the SHIN leaders as they continue to deceive the public, go to the bank and fatten their bellies. Some $50 million dollars could have already been misspent on this Saskatchewan hole in the ground. Now understand what SHIN's CEO Shelly Lipon has been recently saying about the progress of the SHIN's project "It is a huge undertaking. There's cost issues, there's privacy issues, there's control issues." Now match your understanding of what Shelly Lipon said to what SHIN's board chair Jack Grossman has stated "I am proud of the advancements SHIN and Saskatchewan are making in a fiscally responsible manner to enhance patient care both in Saskatchewan and across this country."

As you can find out both of these two guys are leaders in the SHIN's nightmare, they are both experts, they both disagree, and they both go to the bank fattening their bellies.

References

Health database for province behind schedule and overbudget, CEO says, by Jason Warick, November 30, 2001, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

SHIN making excellent progress, by Jack Grossman, Board Chair for SHIN, December 5, 2001 The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Never enough money for SAHO (Brian Rourke), by Mario deSantis, March 30, 1999 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/desantis41/paperRourke-Mar31-99.html

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

A question for Minister of Health Pat Atkinson: How much money is costing Telehealth? By Mario deSantis, March 15, 2000 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/2000/desantis140/Telehealth.html

Saskatchewan Health Information Network: Gord Nystuen leaves his post to cover his assets, by Mario deSantis, October 23, 1999 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/desantis75/Shin.html

Health Reform in Saskatchewan: Digging Holes in the Ground, by Mario deSantis and reviewed by James deSantis, October 20, 1999 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/desantis74/HolesHealth.html