Hospital staffing crunch is due to highly paid execs not having a clue

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It’s onerous to imagine that anybody would have a look at our closely bureaucratic, top-heavy healthcare system in Canada and say the reply is extra paperwork and extra central planning. But, it’s what some so-called consultants are placing ahead as the answer to a summer season staffing crunch that has shut down some emergency rooms.

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It’s presumably the worst concept anybody might put ahead.

Let’s take care of whether or not this staffing crunch is really as unprecedented as is claimed. The true reply is each sure and no.

Communicate to anybody who works in a hospital and so they’ll inform you that there’s at all times a staffing crutch round this time. This yr that crunch, created by way of unhealthy central planning by well-paid well being bureaucrats who don’t appear to understand having everybody take summer season trip on the similar time is a foul concept, is being exacerbated by outdated guidelines on COVID-19 and work.

For instance, in Ontario, a nurse who checks optimistic can be out for 10 days. If they’re uncovered to an in depth contact, like a member of the family who has Covid, they’ll be out for an additional 5 days even when they’re testing destructive. These guidelines, designed in an earlier period with out such an simply transmissible variant or widespread vaccination, not make sense.

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It’s time for them to be revised or shelved if we’re to have a functioning healthcare system.

But, the top of the Canadian Medical Affiliation says the true reply is a federal paperwork to trace healthcare staffing ranges throughout the nation.

“We face a disaster. It’s necessary that we plan accurately, having strong information that may help provinces and territories,” Dr. Katharine Smart told the Globe and Mail.

When central planning fails, simply add extra central planning!

If this data is definitely wanted we have already got the huge, if inefficient, Well being Canada paperwork in addition to the Canadian Institute for Well being Info.

Whereas most Canadians aren’t followers of the separatist Bloc Quebecois, former occasion chief Gilles Duceppe at all times had a superb level when he would ask why there are greater than 10,000 workers at Well being Canada and so they don’t run a single hospital.

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What are these workers doing?

What concerning the Canadian Institute for Health Information? CIHI was arrange in 1994 to offer “important data on Canada’s well being system.”

Doesn’t appear like they’re doing that.

In the meantime, Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski is suggesting that the federal authorities take over the licensing of medical doctors, particularly internationally skilled medical doctors, from the provinces. This is identical federal authorities that presently has a 4 yr processing time for a talented trades individual trying to immigrate to Canada.

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That is additionally the identical authorities that may’t challenge passports or clear air passengers by way of customs shortly. Giving them any extra energy over our well being system is a foul concept.

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All these proposals would do is add extra paperwork to our well being system which might give us extra extremely paid directors however not a single additional hour of care.

If you wish to see how that may work out, take into account this.

Toronto Common Hospital, a part of UHN, Canada’s largest hospital community, was lately within the information as a result of their ICU was at capability resulting from a staffing disaster. UHN’s CEO Kevin Smith was paid $845,092 final yr and has many extremely paid executives beneath him.

None of them might work out that following the standard trip schedule in the summertime, the place there’s a staffing crunch yearly, whereas additionally coping with a extremely transmissible variant and restrictive COVID guidelines would result in this mess?

As Anthony Furey wrote lately, a few of these executives must be fired over their mismanagement. We don’t want extra well being paperwork, we’d like higher administration within the system we now have.