BC Conservatives slam top-heavy Interior Health
By Nelson Daily Staff
By Suzy Hamilton, The Nelson Daily
Just on the heels of Interior Health presenting its new Community Integration plan, the BC Conservative party has slammed IH for the amount of money and positions it has in administration.
The plan, unveiled at the March meeting of the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District (WKBRHD) by Andre Neuner, vice president of Community Integration for IH, is designed to “strengthen primary care” by creating “ multi disciplinary teams of health care providers that will co-ordinate and deliver effective and efficient care to their patients,” Neuner told the board.
But what is needed is money for more beds, nurses and doctors, not more bureaucracy, said Peter Sharp, a BC Conservative candidate in the Kamloops South Thompson riding in a recent press release.
According to numbers from the BC Conservatives, the latest Public Sector Salary Report now shows the Interior Health with a total of 2,622 people in administrative roles— that for 18,500 doctors, nurses, and other front line workers.
Before the Liberals created the Interior Health Authority in 2001, there was no middle bureaucracy such as the IH between the hospitals and the provincial government.
“The IHA seems to have a need for one person in a management role, to supervise every 7 people actually trying to deliver quality healthcare here in Kamloops,” said Sharp in his press release.
“We have less nurses per capita, we have a serious shortage of doctors here in the Kamloops area, and throughout rural and Northern BC, and we have aging facilities such as Royal Inland Hospital,” said Sharp, a 30 year veteran of the RCMP and former Kamloops councilor and Regional District director.
Furthermore, the BC Conservatives said, there are currently 13 top ranking executives with the Interior Health Authority now earning over $200,000 per year.
“The lowest is making in excess of $218, 000 a year, the highest, over $355,000. These executives are making a combined total of $3.3 million a year” Sharp added.
But Nelson Creston Liberal Candidate Greg Garbula said these numbers are too simplistic.
“Anyone that has run a business knows the reality of what it takes is more than is seen from the surface,” said Garbula.
“You would be doing a great disservice to the hard working individuals that make our rural medical facilities run, by comparing a direct ratio of doctors to administrators.
“It makes it sound as if these people are just standing around watching the doctors work, are there certain circumstances, sure… but Premier Clark is working hard to be part of the solution, not discrediting the executives charged with this incredible responsibility,” Garbula added.
Nelson Creston Green Party candidate Sjeng Derkx said the report confirms what he is seeing on the campaign trail.
“These numbers confirm what everybody feels has been happening with health care in our area. More spending, more bureaucrats, less front line care,” said Derkx.
“I was at a public input meeting about Kaslo Hospital last week, and the actual decision makers of Interior Health Authority didn’t even show up! It really brought home how distant and bloated our health administration has become,” he continued.
“We clearly need to return to more local control of our government services. Local control reduces administrative cost, and local people know best what the local needs are and how to get the best possible outcomes with the available funding, less paper pushing, more feet on the ground.”
IH communication officer Karl Hardt said the BC Conservatives got it wrong.
“The 2,622 figure does not represent the number of staff in administrative roles, but rather the number of staff who earned in excess of $75,000,” said Hardt.
Interior Health posts this compensation annually, as do other public sector agencies. It can be found on the IH website at: http://www.interiorhealth.ca/AboutUs/Accountability/Documents/Schedule%20of%20Remuneration%20and%20Expenses%202012.pdf
“Of the 2,622, approximately 500 people are in excluded (not in unions) managerial or administrative positions,” said Hardt. These would include those in physician leadership positions such as medical directors, health facility managers, and human resource and business consultants, he said.
Interior Health has a total of 18,500 staff and close to 1,500 physicians with hospital privileges who work together to meet the needs of patients in 58 municipalities, 53 First Nation communities and 7 regional health districts.
Currently there is no Conservative candidate for the Nelson Creston riding.
The Nelson Daily contacted NDP MLA Michelle Mungall regarding this story but the current Nelson/Creston rep was unavailable for comment.
To read the full press release from Peter Sharp:http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=10030#comments
