March 30 2001
Jump to list of 'who's leaving'!
Immediately below are my March 26 comments from that date.
I made some reasonable assumptions about the ramifications
of Alberta's wage hikes for it's Nurses and Doctors.
On Tuesday March 27 the Regina Leader Post contained two
remarkable coincidences.
These two coincidences led me to create this page which
I decided to call "Exodus".
Following my March 26 2001 comments please find items
from news sources that pertain directly to the Exodus of healthcare workers
from Saskatchewan.
Should you have any items that may fit this category
please let me know, by e-mail or anonymously through the ICQ
link here or on the HealthGaffes home page.
March 26 2001
Well, well, Alberta has decided
to pay it's nurses a fairly reasonable wage.
In fact compared to the chintzy,
strike breaking, lying, weasely Saskatchewan Government they will be paying
brand new RN grads more than a 20 year veteran Saskatchewan nurse!
In reality this is called a recruitment
and retention program.
Alberta will be able to provide
healthcare to it's population because of this wage settlement, the additional
benefits for these same nurses as well the fact that they now pay their
Physicians a fair wage as well.
The ramifications for Saskatchewan
will be serious and they will be swift and they will be certain:
-
Any Nurse or Physician who is not chained
to this province with family ties will be gone!
Expect to see the best of the best
put their affairs in order, research the prospects in Calgary, Edmonton
or a smaller center and then be gone!
-
Immediately following the first few
departures the government will "make a plan", to deal with the problem
of not having the expertise to provide critical services!
-
The NDP will offer assurances and make
more promises but in the end people will suffer and people may die on a
province wide basis!
-
Just as services have been removed
to such a great distance from rural Saskatchewan residents so will services
be removed from all of Saskatchewan residents.
Healthcare in the Province of Saskatchewan
is so dangerously close to a total system wide failure that it will take
only a handful of key departures to see an end to the provision of any
particular given service specialty.
Imagine what it will be like if
all the dialysis staff depart?
What it will it be like if all
the neuro-surgeons depart?
Imagine this province without a
medical training facility for interns and residents?
Suppose the top cancer or cardiac
specialists and surgeons just give up on the NDP and on Saskatchewan voters?
It's just too bad the NDP haven't
even realized that we are beyond the crisis stage already!
Do I know something they don't know?
Nothing that Dwain Lingenfelter
didn't already clearly point out.
For an extra $15,000-$40,000 dollars
per year or more, relocation right next to the Rocky Mountains doesn't
look like quite as much of a hardship as it did last year!
March 27 2001 - Leader
Post page A1
Professor Roger Pierson - head of obstetrics, gynecology
and reproductive science was interviewed and indicated the University of
Saskatchewan should consider shutting down the college of medicine rather
than try and maintain it at a funding level of half what would be appropriate.
On this same day it was pointed out in the Leader Post
that the Saskatchewan Party had been reminding the NDP government that
the numbers of Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses working
in the province was less than it was when the NDP promised to hire 500
more healthcare workers.
Health Minister Nilson tried to rationalize the situation
by saying that housekeeping and kitchen staff were among the 500 healthcare
workers hired, making their promise a good one!
March 28 2001 - Leader Post page A4
Two Doctors leaving Saskatoon Cancer Center
It was reported that Dr. Rob Lowsky - director of stem
cell transplant program and the only staff hematologist will be gone in
June!
Also Dr. Barb Walley - one of the five remaining oncologists
will be gone in May!
This will leave just half the full compliment of eight
oncologists to do the work of twice their number!
April 09 2001
Three Regina Psychiatrists leaving for Alberta!
So it said on the six o'clock TV news.
NDP Health Minister John Nilson said "Of course I'm concerned
.. " when interviewed by reporters.
April 11 2001
Headline Saskatoon Star Phoenix
Chief cardiologist quits
Just seven left in city after heart specialist lured to
Calgary job
By Jason Warick
of The StarPhoenix
The University of Saskatchewan's head cardiologist ( Dr.
James McMeekin ) has accepted a job in Calgary, leaving the city with just
seven of these heart specialists to do the work of 18.
April 12 2001
Head of Cardiovascular Surgery in Regina moves to Calgary!
Dr. John Burgess has made his resignation public and
added his name to the ever growing list of top level healthcare providers
who are choosing to leave Saskatchewan.
Interestingly, the Regina Leader Post only identified
Dr. Burgess as 'a cardiac surgeon' and failed to mention that he is the
dept head and is known worldwide as one of the most highly skilled in his
field.
This is a tremendous loss for the district, the Province
and for the remaining cardiac care providers.
Week of April 22, 2001
Due to a slight technical problem updates were not made
for over a week.
Regina psychiatrists are leaving!
At least one of them, likely two and more thinking about
it.
The problem is administrative in nature with the psychiatrists
concerns going unanswered for months or years.
In fact as predicted December 14 1999 right here,
I said - In fact there is strong evidence to suggest
that two, smaller psychiatric centers would be able to provide superior
mental health services than a larger single facility.
This following the amalgamation of the Pasqua Hospital
and General Hospital Psychiatric Centers.
May 04 2001
Is there a more prominent Physician in Regina than Dr.
Mark O'Grady?
ENT for many years.
Medical Advisory Committee member for all surgery!
GONE TO CALGARY!!! It may not be official yet.
Just a guess, but after making every effort to make every
stupid NDP political maneuver somehow benefit Regina Health District patients
he is giving up.
Dr. O'Grady is so highly qualified it is doubtful any
replacement can even come close to filling the tremendous gap left by this
gentleman.
So far there has been a fairly steady stream of departures
possibly indicative of a low level of optimism in Mr. Ken Fykes report!
(Is your doctors house up for sale?) heh heh Check it
out!
Visit the Exodus page again for updated news of prominent
people taking their leave of the NDP and of Saskatchewan!
May 18 2002
My apologies for perhaps not keeping up to date with all
the comings and goings in the province but as of this date the Star Phoenix
reported that - The University of Saskatchewan college
of medicine is losing three of the eight faculty members from its department
of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences -- including the chief
of medical staff for Saskatoon District Health (SDH).
Dr. Roger Turnell, SDH chief of
staff, is leaving, as are Tien Le, the only gynecologic oncologist in the
province, and Jocelynn Cook, an expert in fetal alcohol syndrome.
As I look back at last year it appears that spring may
be the moving time of choice for Saskatchewan Physicians.
Greaner
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