David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others
Methinks the tally of the comments easily proves that nobody cares what the economist Richard Saillant thinks anymore Folks should trust the CBC and all the politicians certainly know why I don't N'esy Pas?
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2018/08/cbc-and-their-economist-buddy-richard.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/economist-richard-saillant-health-reforms-1.5469569
Inaction on health-care crisis hurts everyone, economist says
'The system has already been brought down to its knees,' says Richard Saillant
CBC News · Posted: Feb 20, 2020 4:17 PM AT
Sackville Memorial Hospital is one of six rural hospitals in the province where emergency room hours were threatened to be cutback last week. (CBC)
New Brunswick is entering a "red zone" of health care and aging, according to a Moncton economist.
Richard Saillant said the health care crisis is about to get much worse, especially if the government chooses to do nothing, as happened this week.
Last week, the government announced it would close overnight emergency rooms at six hospitals, but stepped back from the idea on Sunday after an outcry from the affected communities.
Saillant said the province's aging population and lack of money, combined with overworked health care staff, are factors that will continue to exacerbate existing problems if the government fails to act.
Potential for 'complete catastrophe'
The oldest baby boomers are now in their 70s, an age where more hospital care is required, Saillant said. At the same time, boomers are retiring from their jobs, leading to gaps in the health-care field and overworked staff.
"When you have hundreds and hundreds of job vacancies, very well-paying jobs, in the health networks and no one to take them up, that means there's an extra pressure on the staff that is already there," Saillant said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.
"The system has already been brought down to its knees."
Economist Richard Saillant said New Brunswick's health care system has already been 'brought down to its knees.' (Twitter)
In a bid to attract more health-care workers, provinces will begin competing to recruit more workers. This competition will cause a spike in health-care worker's salaries, Saillant said.
He said New Brunswick and other rapidly aging provinces will need more money from Ottawa to sink into health care and the recruitment of nurses and doctors.
Information Morning - Fredericton
Health care crisis
Richard Saillant is an author and economist, based in Moncton. He says the current healthcare crisis is only the beginning for New Brunswick, and we're entering a "red zone of health care and aging'. 13:40
"Ottawa at some point is going to have to provide more money to all of Atlantic Canada because it's aging faster."
He also acknowledged it isn't entirely feasible for the province to recruit its way out of what he deemed a "human resource crisis."
"I do hope that we can recruit partly our way through this crisis because if not, then it's just going to be a complete catastrophe."
No use for 'window-dressing' consultation
Dr. Allison Dysart, who works in Sackville Memorial Hospital's emergency department, one of the places that almost lost overnight service, said problems in the health-care system have been hyped. He agrees the system is in crisis in some ways, however.
"As a health-care provider, we don't seem to be given the tools to do the job very well," Dysart said.
"I have patients waiting … they're on the surgical wait list. They're waiting a year and a half to get an operation done."
Dysart was on Horizon's medical advisory committee, one of the network's highest decision-making bodies, but resigned after the health-care changes were announced.
Information Morning - Moncton
Sackville family doctor levels harsh criticism at government over health care controversy
Dr. Allison Dysart is a general practitioner in Sackville and works in the hospital's emergency department. 9:15
"I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach," he said, citing a lack of consultation.
Dysart was upset with the way the two health authorities handled the announcement and the subsequent retraction of the plan.
"Their response is, 'Well, you people just didn't understand.' … I mean that's pretty insulting stuff.'"
He was skeptical about the government's plan to consult communities about steps to address problems, including the shortage of doctors and nurses.
If the health authorities have already made up their minds about what needs to be done, the consultation is just "window-dressing," Dysart said.
Saillant would not comment on whether the cancelled reforms amounted to an attack on rural New Brunswick, but he said everyone deserves access to quality health care.
"Inaction right now is an attack on all New Brunswickers," he said. "When it comes to health care, our postal code should be much less important than the quality of care we provide to our seniors."
With files from Information Morning Fredericton, Moncton
9 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
nancy malachowski
As
an experienced RN in the process of relocating to Miramichi from Ontario
I searched for hospital job opportunities from 2014-2018 to no avail.
What little work was offered was part-time float positions, in other
words, precarious work. Yet news stories talked about nursing shortages
and the need to recruit nurses from out of country.
Holly Mossing
Dr. Dysart is being disingenuous. No rural doctor wants to give up lucrative overnight shifts ($150+/hour to see 2-5 patients in 8 hours and nap in between), but that doesn’t justify keeping acute care facilities open when the aging population needs better daytime access to supportive and preventative care.
Terry Tibbs
Reply to @Holly Mossing:
Ok, so your answer is to tell everyone not to get sick, or injured, randomly? Shall we pick a convenient day, say the 3rd Friday afternoon of each month, between the hours of 2pm and 4pm.
So, listen up NBers, health care is available the 3rd Friday of every month, between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, save up your sickness/injury until then and we will be happy to help you.
Good plan.
Bob Smith
Reply to @Terry
Tibbs: What's your alternative then? Sarcasm will not solve anything.
Detail your plan to preserve the status quo, given the facts of what the
future years will bring.
Ian Scott
The blah blah blah but not one piece of suggestion for improvement other than what , throw more money at it?. You already see its going to cost more to compete. Or do you mean it was the processing that was not laid out ?. If people are on wait lists and acute care beds are blocked what is your brilliant suggestion? Its either reforms or private care to relieve public care.It would be a decade to add to current major hospitals room and build nursing homes and provide increased mental health etc. Or its wait till we add to debt to cover it.
Chantal LeBouthi
rural communities are not to blamed stop attacking rural communities for big cities friend
John Young
Here are my drastic solutions.
1. Vitalize Resource Economy
2. Streamline Language Duality to reduce Waste
3. Penalize people who work in the underground economy.
4. Make corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
5. Quit smoking
6. Weight reduction programmes
7. Encourage Innovation
8. Stop blaming Government for trying to balance budgets.
Lewis Taylor
Reply to @John Young:
Win Nobel Prize for wishful thinking. BTW there is no duality in health and if that is a code word for stopping care to francophones then it won't work. They pay taxes too so they deserver services just like anglos.
Win Nobel Prize for wishful thinking. BTW there is no duality in health and if that is a code word for stopping care to francophones then it won't work. They pay taxes too so they deserver services just like anglos.
Leo-Guy Leblanc
Not certain if the action is still the same but I do know young people, including some relatives, graduating as nurses less than 10 years ago, are offered full time part time jobs in hospitals. The rate of pay is great but if you are only allowed to work 20 hours a week, how can you make a living in raising a family and paying off student loans. Most of them have to get a second part-time job, mostly in senior's residences so no wonder they get burned out, move away to another province or quit and now we have a resources problem.
Dr Allison Dysart
2 Main St,Sackville, NB
E4L 4A3
Phone 506-536-4441
Dr. Brian O'Neill
20 Kennedy Dr,
Sussex, NB
E0E 1P0
Green leader discusses health-care concerns
Published Friday September 24th, 2010
Leader Jack MacDougall proposes community health centres
by Meg Edwards
Times & Transcript staff
SACKVILLE - Green Party Leader Jack MacDougall and Tantramar riding candidate Margaret Tusz-King held a news conference yesterday at the Sackville offices of party supporter Dr. Allison Dysart.
Before the conference had officially begun, an audience member had already asked if Dysart was taking patients, which led directly to the discussion of the dearth of doctors in the province.
"40,000 people do not have access to the health-care system," said MacDougall, adding that in many cases people need care but not necessarily a physician.
The Green Party is proposing community heath-care centres that would have doctors on hand as well as nurse practitioners, nurses, midwives and other health-care practitioners.
Dysart said the Tantramar Community Health Centre, where he and many other doctors have their offices, could very easily become the collaborative type of centre proposed by the Green Party.
Dysart was in agreement with MacDougall and Tusz-King that no rural hospitals should be shut down. "We need emergency rooms," he stated, also emphasizing that community health centres would allow doctors and practitioners to work together on preventative care.
MacDougall argued that a new model of health care needs to be developed to prepare for the "silver tsunami" of increased needs that will hit the health-care system when baby boomers age into seniors and New Brunswick's limited amount of doctors starts to retire as well.
"If we continue with our present model for health care," says MacDougall, "we will be virtually bankrupt, we need to prepare for the ever-increasing demand that we know is coming."
MacDougall says that we are lurching from one election to the next with single solutions and no long-term plan.
"There should be no ribbon cutting at the opening of an MRI in a hospital," says MacDougall.
"Health care should not be political. If you needed it and you got it, it is just because you needed it."
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/doctors-in-nb-close-offices/article25429330/
Doctors in N.B. close offices
He was one of more than 1,000 doctors who staged the first provincewide walkout in the history of New Brunswick yesterday.
Across
the province doctors ignored the pleas of Premier Bernard Lord that
their actions were "unnecessary and unwarranted." They shut down their
offices indefinitely to protest against a contract offer by the
provincial government that they say will only exacerbate their
comparatively low wages and long hours.
The
move came after a marathon negotiating session with a provincially
appointed mediator failed to end in agreement on how to solve the doctor
shortage in a province where as many as 36,000 people don't have a
family physician.
"I wish we had a
different message today but we don't," John McCann, president of the New
Brunswick Medical Society, told a news conference yesterday. "The
walkout will go ahead as planned."
Mr. Lord said that the province has improved its offer to the doctors and is working to bring a quick end to the work stoppage.
If
necessary, Mr. Lord said, the province would take the case to an
arbitrator for a decision on how much doctors should be paid. "We're not
going to let this go on very long," he told reporters.
Dr.
Dysart, like most physicians, was still seeing patients in hospital and
providing emergency services. Emergency rooms across the province
reported larger-than-usual crowds, but most hospitals said that patients
were not being subjected to extraordinarily long waits.
For
Dr. Dysart and his wife and two small children, the outcome of the
closed-door negotiations scheduled to resume today are crucial.
He's
one of a large group of young, mobile doctors who are fed up with fees
they say are some of the lowest in the country. They blame low fees for
an continuing shortage of physicians that forces those employed to work
as many as 60 hours a week.
https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others
FYI I still have no Health Care Card but I just PAID another big bill for emergency room services and STILL Higgy and the economist Richard Saillant don't care N'esy Pas?
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2018/08/cbc-and-their-economist-buddy-richard.html
Higgs may have jeopardized reputation for making politically risky decisions in health reform fallout
'The concern here is that the implementation plan was just not well thought-out,' Higgs said
· CBC News · Posted: Feb 18, 2020 7:06 AM AT
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs announced Sunday he was cancelling plans to cut overnight ER services in six rural hospitals. (CBC News)
A week is a long time in politics, they say, and that was especially true during the last seven days in New Brunswick.
Last Tuesday, the Higgs government's reputation for making tough, politically risky decisions was at the forefront of the announcement of changes to small-town hospitals.
If there was political flak, "we're going to do it anyway," Health Minister Ted Flemming declared.
"A government has to govern. There's been enough studies, enough consultations, enough reviews, enough, enough, enough."
The CEOs of the province's two health authorities were "fabulously qualified" to lead the reform along with their staffs and boards, he said, "to the point that New Brunswickers should be thankful and grateful that we have these people in New Brunswick."
Fast forward to Premier Blaine Higgs's news conference on Monday, when he said that the plan was not as "ready to go" as the CEOs had said it was, and that its implementation was "not well-defined."
"I did expect that they would have a greater ability to roll out the plan," he said of the CEOs, Karen McGrath at Horizon and Gilles Lanteigne at Vitalité.
"I was disappointed that that was not the case. Anyone would be disappointed that we weren't able to roll this out seamlessly."
Too many questions, few answers
According to Higgs, too many questions came up in the intervening week that lacked answers.
With six small-town emergency departments shutting down between midnight and 8 a.m. starting next month, would there be more advanced-care paramedics to accommodate the increase in patients travelling greater distances to city hospitals?
Would there still be palliative care in those smaller hospitals?
Were doctors spelled off from overnight shifts in the ER actually practising in those communities, allowing them to see more patients during the day, as the health authorities promised?
Protests were held outside some of the affected hospitals, including the Sussex Health Centre, pictured above. (Graham Thompson/CBC)
"Those questions should have been clear, answered, without any concern," Higgs said. But, he said, they weren't.
And apparently they had not been asked by anyone in his government — a startling admission for a premier who emphasizes managerial competence and precise, measurable achievements.
"I'm an engineer," Higgs told a business audience in Saint John last year. "I love Gantt charts," a kind of bar graph showing timelines and targets.
"I love measurements. I love people to hold accountable: like 'Who owns this?' and 'When are you coming back with a report?' and 'what's that report going to look like?' and 'When are we going to see results,' so that we have a timeline."
How, then, did no one ask the right questions about the health plan before it was released — especially given that versions of the plan have been floating around for more than a decade?
Higgs acknowledged Monday he had not been shown a Gantt chart, "which I would normally see," for the health reforms.
"I was assured it was all done," he said, "because we've been trying to do it for so long."
He explained that as premier he wants to delegate decision-making to "people in their own divisions, to take responsibility for their everyday activities."
In this case, though, it took a week of protests for Higgs to discover there was a lack of forethought about the spinoff effects on other parts of the system.
Health reform plans aren't dead yet
The resulting fallout took his minority government to the brink of a snap election call. It also cost him the only francophone MLA and minister he had, Robert Gauvin. He'll now lack that perspective in future caucus and cabinet deliberations.
How, then, to go forward?
"Doing nothing is not an option," Higgs said. "It's never been an option for me. Taking a step back is necessary."
The plan isn't dead.
"I don't know of another plan," Higgs said.
It will be the basis for consultations the province will organize this spring — the consultations Flemming said a week ago were no longer necessary. That will include visits by Higgs himself to the six communities with affected hospitals.
Rallies were planned for all six of the rural hospitals in opposition of the province's plan to close emergency rooms next month. (Philip Drost/CBC)
But the premier added he'd be glad to hear alternatives that address the pressing issues that still need urgent solutions: not enough doctors and nurses to allow the system to care for an aging population.
And how should people respond the next time he says he's standing firm on an unpopular policy and is willing to go into an election to ensure it goes ahead?
"If I'm in a position again, which I hope to be, to say 'I have this plan to roll out, I have assurances we can do this,' maybe I'll ask more questions. But I do ask a lot of questions in any case, so I'm not sure how many more I would ask.
"But I would expect for people to be accountable for delivering what they promise to deliver, and I have to rely on people to be able to do that."
So, he said, he would stake his ground "on different issues going forward, on the basis that I believe in what the plan is, that it will be well executed," he said.
"The concern here is that the implementation plan was just not well thought-out."
For many who believed in Higgs — who were confident he was a non-politician willing to make the hard choices — that distinction was lost, the reversal particularly disappointing.
"I truly thought he was stronger," Bob McVicar, a Saint John businessman and Conservative supporter, said in a social media post. "He just choked like the rest have in the past. I'm suddenly wondering what makes him different from Gallant."
At the end of a critical week for Higgs and his government, that comparison — to the former Liberal premier he often accused of avoiding difficult decisions — may be the cruellest critique of all.
156 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.David Amos
Methinks Higgy's concerns became instantly boring as soon and the news broke about what Jean Gauvin's bouncing baby boy had said over our radio airwaves N'esy Pas?
David Amos
Reply to @David Amos: I
should continue to be the first to admit that I was wrong. Jean
Gauvin's bouncing baby boy has every right to play the wicked game
whichever way he wishes and let the political cards fall where they may
just as I have the right to laugh as my now fellow Independent dices
with Higgy and all the rest.
A few days ago I predicted that if Gauvin were clever he would quit his seat and remove himself from the fray while keeping in his corner the PC fan base his Father had garnered . Then if he stayed out of the next election which will quite likely result in another minority he could keep his purported integrity intact, If Higgy lost his bid for a second mandate, I figured in the next PC leadership race the comedian would be shoo-in for sure. If Higgy won methinks he could always join the Green Party or whatever and run in the next election
It now appears to me that his plan is cause and election for what reason its hard telling for sure but much to Higgy's chagrin the circus he oversee certainly is entertaining lately N'esy Pas?
A few days ago I predicted that if Gauvin were clever he would quit his seat and remove himself from the fray while keeping in his corner the PC fan base his Father had garnered . Then if he stayed out of the next election which will quite likely result in another minority he could keep his purported integrity intact, If Higgy lost his bid for a second mandate, I figured in the next PC leadership race the comedian would be shoo-in for sure. If Higgy won methinks he could always join the Green Party or whatever and run in the next election
It now appears to me that his plan is cause and election for what reason its hard telling for sure but much to Higgy's chagrin the circus he oversee certainly is entertaining lately N'esy Pas?
Rob Meagher
Maybe take a look at the costs of claiming to be the only Province in Canada to be bilingual. This coming from the poorest Province trying to support duality.
David Amos
Reply to @Rob
Meagher: I agree Since 1982 New Brunswick has been the ONLY province to
be FORCED to support duality by the FEDS. Hence that is a BIG reason we
have become Canada's poorest province, that and the constant corporate
welfare and tax breaks to billionaire clans and their cohorts. Methinks
Higgy as a former wannabe leader of the CoR Party and a former employee
of the Irving Clan should agree with those irrefutable facts N'esy Pas?
Claude DeRoche
Reply to @Rob Meagher:
Agree bilingualism failed miserably!
En Français seulement!
Agree bilingualism failed miserably!
En Français seulement!
Mac Isaac
Reply to @Rob Meagher:
Please just give it a rest, willya?!? Bilingualism is simply a fact of
life for New Brunswick. You obviously don't like it...I do! What does
that prove? Not one damned thing.
As for duality, that's a whole different kettle of fish, but it's an obvious consequence of bilingualism. It wouldn't make sense to have one without the other. Abolishing bilingualism would necessitate a change to the Canadian Constitution and that would require the minimum required number of other provinces signing on and even getting to the point of a vote would require opening the Constitution and that, dear Mr. Meagher, is not something the country wants to do again...anytime soon anyway!
As for duality, that's a whole different kettle of fish, but it's an obvious consequence of bilingualism. It wouldn't make sense to have one without the other. Abolishing bilingualism would necessitate a change to the Canadian Constitution and that would require the minimum required number of other provinces signing on and even getting to the point of a vote would require opening the Constitution and that, dear Mr. Meagher, is not something the country wants to do again...anytime soon anyway!
David Amos
Reply to @Mac Isaac: Cry me a river
Michel Forgeron
I don't know of course, but I think he may have mistakenly believed this would go over well with the public. If it had done so in the timing of implementation mentioned (mid-March I think) , it would have been positive for him and a very good opportunity to call an election. PCs aren't my usual pick, but in my opinion he has done a pretty good job. What bugs me more than this is the NBPower fiasco.
David Amos
Reply to @Michel
Forgeron: FYI I still have no Health Care Card but I just got another
big bill for emergency room services and STILL Higgy don't care
Graeme Scott
Whether the fault is with the hospital corporations or with the minister and senior staff at the Dept of Health it was Premier Higgs job to ensure that everybody had their ducks in a row before this was announced. Sounds like maybe somebody gave him assurances and then let him down. The points raised in opposition and "what about..." questions were predictable and answers should have been ready to go. There was also no clear explanation of the benefits and how saved resources would be redeployed. Whether this is a good idea or not, it was clearly a communications failure.
john smith
Reply to @Graeme
Scott: the problem of course is the resources saved were not available
to begin with so no such redeployment could be achieved
Donald Smith
Reply to @Graeme
Scott: If he was given false information, fire those outright who gave
him the false info as simple as that. Would be nice to see what research
and what facts were presented to him to cause a 360 turn.
Kyle Woodman
Reply to @Graeme Scott: Maybe Higgs can't read?
Dotty Gaudet
Reply to @Graeme Scott: The "ducks in a row" were the CEOs. Last time I saw, he doesn't work at the hospital.
Dotty Gaudet
Reply to @Dotty Gaudet: And they should be the ones giving him the proper information.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Dotty
Gaudet: Makes one wonder what other false information and skewed
information is being fed to government officials by incompetent and
under-handed dishonest employees.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Dotty
Gaudet: And they should also be the ones that are held accountable for
providing misleading and false information...
David Amos
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: Methinks his spin doctor Nicole certainly can N'esy Pas?
john smith
i find no care for a few hours a day much less concerning then forced medications pushed onto the youth of our province i would love to see the gov fall if not just to rid ourselves of the minister of ed comrade cardy
john smith
Reply to @john smith: its unfortunate really because it seemed to have been functioning besides the forced injection
David Amos
Reply to @john smith: Methinks if we get lucky he will overdose on butter tarts N'esy Pas?
Mack Leigh
Thank you Premier Higgs ! Thank you for not being another shallow , selfish politician who worries only about " jeopardizing your reputation " but rather one that is at least trying to fix our extremely broken province.... Coon and Vickers are more than welcome to step forward with their viable plans that will fix our healthcare fiasco.....
john smith
Reply to @Mack Leigh: your right of course blaine is leading the others are just hungry to lead but have no true direction
Donald
Smith
Reply to @Mack Leigh:
He chocked on his belief. He stated he was willing to go to the ballot
polls over his decision, Fine do it, but he didn't he chocked, get out
of the Party and make way for those who won't choke if there's any
these days who won't. Their all just as bad and two faced.
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Donald
Smith: Rather than " choking as you state , Higgs took a step back
when he realized that he was making a decision based on faulty or
missing facts... Having the integrity to take that step back is one of
the marks of a true leader..... Other than the People's Alliance neither
the Greens or Liberals have spoken of a viable plan to clean up this
mess......
David Amos
Reply to @Mack Leigh: Surely you jest
Roland Stewart
Personally I'd like to see him gather up the balls to take on NB power and make changes that are for the people. That house needs to be cleaned big time.
David Amos
Reply to @Roland Stewart: Good luck with anyone finding any balls
Roland
Stewart
Reply to @David Amos: lol , not going to hold my breath.
David Amos
Reply to @Roland
Stewart: Methinks after all the conversations I had on the phone today
lots of lawyers, bureaucrats and "journalists cannot deny that they knew
that I had a full set all along N'esy Pas?
Fred Brewer
This debacle is reminiscent of the Libs failed bid to sell NB Power which also failed due to a lack of public consultations. A smart premier learns from his mistakes. A wise premier learns from not only his own mistakes but from the mistakes of others.
Terry Tibbs
Reply to @Fred Brewer:
And this premier was done learning when he left the University of Irving.
And this premier was done learning when he left the University of Irving.
David Amos
Reply to @Terry Tibbs: YUP
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