Letters to the Editor

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Hospital revenues should not be executiver social slush funds or politcal war chest


-People's Alliance want re-investment in actual health care services



There has to be a better way to spend money on New Brunswick's health care system than by attending high-priced fundraising dinners says The People's Alliance of New Brunswick party.
 
The People's Alliance of New Brunswick recommends both the governing Progressive Conservatives and the executives at Horizon Health Network provide the people of this province more than an 'Oops... we misunderstood.'

People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin said it's nothing short of nauseating to see this type of mismanagement of health care funding and the deceit of trying to pass everything off as mistakes.

"The Horizon Health Network is cutting front line services while sending executives to fundraisers that they don't know what the money is going towards," Austin said. "Either Horizon or the PC government isn't prioritizing the needs of the people in this province,  they're replacing the public's need with their own greed."

Austin added with last fall's announcement of 65 health care job cuts it almost seems as if the health authority lacks a sense of direction in its upper echelon of management.

"Last October, Horizon knew there would be 65 jobs cut, but couldn't say if they were management or front line. Now we have executives going out for an evening and spending a few thousand dollars and they have no idea who they were giving the money to," Austin said. "And if all it takes to make up for this is a simple, 'Oops, I'm sorry,' all it will do is make them and the Alward PC's more cautious the next time they want money to go from one wallet to the other."

People's Alliance party president Jason Inness says he finds it a difficult pill to swallow that the Conservatives didn't know Horizon Health was unaware it was a political fundraiser.

"The PC Party took the money without question and the only reason they care is because the media found out," Inness said.

Inness added it all comes down once again to members of the two traditional parties, the New Brunswick PC's and Liberals, having a firm belief that they are above the average New Brunswicker.

"Members of these two parties, their associates and many top executives of government departments continue to function like aristocrats at a king's court," he said. "Meanwhile the people who pay the taxes and need these services continue to suffer from the poor management skills of the current political class."

The People's Alliance firmly believes there are better ways to use revenues generated at our hospitals, such as aiding in fundraisers for better equipment.

"From this point forward the health care system needs to focus on re-investing the revenues they generate back into the system," Austin said. "And that should go for all revenues the hospitals take in. The last thing we want to see is hospital executives using the money collected from vending machines going toward entry fees at the Liberal's annual golf tournament."