Report verifies our concerns: opposition parties
Report verifies our concerns: opposition partiesThe opposition says it’s vindicated with Tuesday’s release of an auditor general’s report highlighting significant failures in the planning process for new hospitals in Dawson City and Watson Lake.
Photo by Whitehorse Star
Left: CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE – Liz Hanson (right), the leader of the official Opposition, told reporters Tuesday that the Yukon Hospital Corp. and the Department of Health and Social Services have a chance to save grace – by completing a community health care needs assessment, even if it’s done long after it should have been. The NDP’s health critic, Jan Stick, is also shown. Right: Sandy Silver
The opposition says it’s vindicated with Tuesday’s release of an auditor general’s report highlighting significant failures in the planning process for new hospitals in Dawson City and Watson Lake.
“I think that this just reconfirms what the Liberal caucus has been saying all along. This is a cavalier approach to spending of the taxpayers’ money,” said interim Liberal leader Sandy Silver.
The Klondike MLA has requested that the hospital corporation appear before the legislature during the spring sitting for questioning.
“We have tons of questions now as to why they made the decisions that they did make. We also have tons of questions as to the recommendations that are in (the audit),” he said.
The audit recommends that a health care needs assessment be completed in both communities to ensure the services provided are designed specifically with those needs in mind.
“So now it’s a question of, how does that get rolled out?” Silver said.
Personally, he would like to see a move away from the acute care model, in the Dawson hospital at least.
“The good news is the hospital is designed to be able to change, it is designed to accommodate for an acute care model of health but it’s also designed that it could change into a collaborative care facility as well.”
Liz Hanson, the leader of the NDP, reiterated Silver’s sentiments that the auditor’s report simply confirms what the opposition has been saying all along: that the Yukon Party government doesn’t listen to Yukoners.
“We are being saddled with very expensive acute care facilities that may or may not be able to deliver acute care,” she said.
“It’s a costly option with no rationale.”
“It’s after the fact, you’ve got the buildings up, but there’s still an opportunity to talk about the right mix of care in the communities and in Whitehorse as well.
“Maybe they need to revisit the model of care that’s being proposed for Dawson, maybe it’s that community care nursing as opposed to acute care nursing,” said Hanson.
Arn Anderson
Feb 27, 2013 at 9:40 pm
Wannabe left wing politicians protesting hospitals and health care? Wow, only in the Yukon I guess, next up on the list is Harper shuts down the oil sands because its the new “fad” of going against your political ideology.
These idiots jump the fence all day long on issues and while you all are agreeing or disagreeing with them wearing your VOTE FOR buttion, these politicians are laughing all the way to the bank with those coveted “tax dollars” of yours.