| Saskatchewan healthcare should be the shining light(1)
to the world, however it continues to be plagued by a system which is jokingly referred
to as health reform(2). Our leaders are not understanding
that we are going through social and economic changes, and instead to prepare ourselves
to face the challenges and opportunities of the Knowledge Economy(3)
they i)deliver insignificant speeches highlighting the superiority of socialism over
individualism(4), ii)follow an obsolete "mean
and lean"(5) economic philosophy, iii)argue with
the professionalism and work of Wayne Strelioff (6),
Provincial Auditor, and iv)promote a regressive business growth based on healthcare
megaprojects(7), out of province transfer of businesses(8), and gambling(9).
And to make things worse, a greater proportion of our children are being deprived
of a decent upbringing(10), our cities have one of
the highest homicide rates in North America(11),
our privacy rights are being jeopardized(12), discrimination
is rampant and institutionalized in the Justice system(13),
and nobody can speak out for the fear of losing their jobs(14). |
This is a brief record of our present government which for some reasons I was compelled
to write as a response to reading
today's article "Health-care talks prove weird" by Murray Mandryk in the
StarPhoenix. I found this article quite remarkable
and to the point in reporting the miserable accountability and conflicts of interest
affecting the talks between the Canadian
Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations
(SAHO). The President
of the CUPE health care council, Stephen Foley, is at the same time a representative
of the union and a board member of
South Central Health District represented by SAHO. SAHO, on the other hand, represents
the healthcare districts and
indirectly the provincial government. CUPE and Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN)
have repeatedly requested to have
a government representative in their negotiating talks with SAHO, but their requests
have been ignored. In this article,
Mandryk covers the CUPE's stance for wage parity, the lack of homework on the part
of SAHO, and the incompetence of
the government in creating and managing the healthcare system. The state of the talks
between CUPE and SAHO are
qualified by Mandryk as preposterous, ridiculous, and ludicrous. |
|
Endnotes:
|
| |
|
1.
.
. |
NOTES FOR REMARKS by Premier Roy Romanow, to the Annual Convention of the Saskatchewan
New Democratic Party, Saturday, Nov. 22, 1997: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/saskndp/SPEECHES/convention_speech_97.html |
| |
|
2.
. |
Article Health-care talks prove weird, by Murray Mandryk, The StarPhoenix,
Weekend Forum, January 9, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| |
|
3.
. |
@Brint is one of the best research sites on Knowledge Management; created by Dr.
Yogesh Malhotra: http://www.brint.com/ |
| |
|
4.
.
. |
NOTES FOR REMARKS by Premier Roy Romanow, to the Annual Convention of the Saskatchewan
New Democratic Party, Saturday, Nov. 22, 1997: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/saskndp/SPEECHES/convention_speech_97.html |
| |
|
5.
.
. |
"Sears CEO, Arthur Martinez, says, 'You can't shrink your way to greatness'".
Quotation from the essay: Gain The Collaborative Advantage! by Robert
Hargrove: http://www.mgeneral.com/3-now/98-now/032898rh.htm |
| |
|
6.
. |
Recent reports of the Provincial Auditor with particular reference to Saskatchewan
Power Corporation and Workers' Compensation Board. http://www.auditor.sk.ca |
| |
|
7.
. |
Paper: 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 |
| |
|
| 8. |
Transfer of the insurance company Crown Life, from Toronto, Ontario to Regina, Saskatchewan |
| |
|
9.
.
.
.
. |
Refer to the Channel Lake affairs; articles in the StarPhoenix of Saskatoon, dated
April 11, 1998, page Local A11: Asleep at the switch, by M. Wyatt,
Ministers condoned risky trading: report, by Bonny Braden, Commission
deal sweet for Channel Lake buyer: Grits, by Chris Varcoe. Also, refer to
the article in the StarPhoenix, dated April 17, 1998, page A3: Risks part
of business, Messer says, by Bonny Braden. |
| |
|
| 10. |
Article: UN report slams Canada, The StarPhoenix, December 5, 1998,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| |
|
11.
.
.
. |
Message from Newsgroups: sk.politics pertinent to 8 murders in Regina for the year
1998. Subject: Murders: "We're No. 1!", Date: Wed, 30
Dec 1998 23:05:37 GMT, From: cawatk@my-dejanews.com, Organization: Deja News - The
Leader in Internet Discussion Newsgroups: sk.politics |
| |
|
12.
.
.
.
. |
Privacy, not price matters: Strelioff, Leader-Post, Regina, Saskatchewan,
Sept. 26, 1997. Comment: The consolidation of medical records could provide the background
for i)the end of the trust relationship between physicians and their clients, and
ii)the breakdown of the economic principle to provide medical services against a
fee Health privacy concerns raised, by Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix,
October 24, 1998, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| |
|
13.
. |
Racism no longer a matter of debate, by Randy Burton, The StarPhoenix,
July 21, 1998, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| |
|
14.
.
.
.
. |
Article: SUN decries gag order: Memo reminder of confidentiality rule, health
board, by James Parker, The Star Phoenix, THIRD PAGE, May 8, 1998 Article:
Judge unlocks MLA expenses, by Mark Wyatt, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, January 9, 1999. Refer to former MLA Bob Lyons who did not want to
disclose the names of his former constituency assistants for the eventuality of another
political blood letting. |
|