IH cuts close to bone

Don Plant 2009-07-09 Kelowna Daily Courier:

Cuts to Interior Health‘s operating budget will likely slice into clinical programs, says the man who chairs the health authority‘s board of directors. Officials must make $28 million to $30 million worth of cuts to this year‘s operations to ensure a balanced budget, Norm Embree said Wednesday. The health authority‘s administration has already endured “painful cuts,” Embree said. Health programs that don‘t mean life or death for patients could be next. “We‘ve already done administration. There could be clinical cuts,” Embree said. “We could do some drastic things, but, as far as patient care and safety are concerned, no. . . . If you go to Emergency, you‘re looked after.” Clinical cuts could result in fewer hours for health clinics, reductions to drug-rehabilitative programs and a one- or two-year hiatus for other programs, he said. Patients in rural communities may have to travel longer distances to regional hospitals for their care.

Embree said he will know more when he sees a document outlining the proposed cuts on Monday. “Will there be pain? Yes – until we figure this out,” Embree said. “It‘s a major issue for our times.” CEO Murray Ramsden confirmed last month that IH is “looking for efficiencies” in administrative and support areas to balance its $1.5-billion operating budget. The health authority has already imposed a freeze on hiring, and has restricted travel and education costs. Ramsden said layoffs could be another cost-saver. The B.C. government has granted $74 million (4.9 per cent) more than last year‘s funding, but most of the money will go toward legislated salary increases. Any dollars left over are paying down operating costs of new long-term care homes. “We‘re looking at a zero increase, and the population is aging. We‘re under a lot of pressure to do more. We don‘t have any more,” Embree said. NDP health critic Adrian Dix says there‘s ample evidence the B.C. Liberals knew IH faced a funding shortfall before the May 12 election but kept it quiet.

“It‘s apparent that (Premier) Gordon Campbell and his team knew the IHA would face a deficit when they pledged health care would be protected during the campaign,” Dix said. Embree said he denies the Health Ministry ordered IH to “put a cap on anything” before the election. “We were in limbo. Did we know it would be difficult in the next two years? Yes,” he said. “We knew before the election we‘d have to deal with the cards dealt to us.” When the health authorities met with new Health Minister Kevin Falcon on June 22, they learned they‘d have to live with the increases announced earlier and nothing more, Embree said. B.C. spent about 24 per cent of the provincial budget on health in 2000. Today, it‘s close to 50 per cent “with no end in sight,” Embree said.

A two-tier system that includes private health care may be necessary, he said. “We‘re already multi-tier. … We already go to Washington (for private care). Why not have it here?” Embree questions the millions of public dollars going toward residential care for seniors. “The Canada Health Act doesn‘t say anything about providing housing for everyone. … Now everyone expects the health-care system to provide a room and a place.”