Business as usual?

Politics is now firmly entrenched in the operations of Health P.E.I. Whatever independence the government-appointed board of directors enjoyed over the past eight years has been undermined by recent amendments tabled in the legislature by the minister of health.

The resignations of the Health P.E.I. chairman and the entire board were dramatic responses to those amendments. The changes make the minister - who can now send written directives to the board - responsible for the strategic direction of health care in the province.

Health P.E.I. was created to be the single health authority for the province but the amendments mean it must share that role with the province. The board saw its powers curbed and its decisions subject to review. Under such constraints, board members saw resignation as their only option.

It’s clear that government is ready to overrule any Health P.E.I. decisions it doesn’t agree with. Engage P.E.I. will now seek replacements for the health board, a public relations gesture designed to sanitize government’s dirty hands in this matter. Why go through this charade when a new board will face the same restrictions that doomed the old? Isn’t this a form of health care insanity – appointing board members to operate under the same, unacceptable curbs in the hopes of a different outcome?

The minister can now choose a CEO - a position selected in the past by the board - who will execute the minister’s vision. The amendments suggest that the minister knows what’s best for the Island’s health-care system.

Perhaps government believes this new model reflects what Islanders believe; that the ultimate responsibility for health care should rest with the minister of health. If he makes the final decisions, he must accept the credit or blame when Island voters pass judgment at the ballot box.

The board has been working with the medical community to find efficiencies and savings within the $710 million health budget. Yet, the minister rejected the board’s latest management plan which included moving patients out of beds and sending them home several days sooner. The minister said he feared those beds would then be closed, leading to job losses. In reality, government likely saw bed closures as bad optics and politically unacceptable. And finally, the minister blamed the board for fiscal mismanagement.

The current crisis within Health P.E.I. parallels the demise of P.E.I.’s English school board. First, government dismissed that board after some elected trustees objected to policies; it then appointed a single trustee to operate the board; finally dissolved the board and creating the Public Schools Branch which administers policy on behalf of the department of education.

If the health minister thinks a single trustee can successfully operate our health care system, assisted by leadership at Health P.E.I. and its CEO, will he be tempted to permanently abolish the board and basically rule by decree?

The minister says it’s business as usual at Health P.E.I. But that’s impossible when the rules were radically altered and the province seems intent on micro-managing every aspect of our health care.