Manitoba Politics

[Wideleft]

For 478 patients...

Taxpayers paid $24M for out-of-province surgeries

By: Danielle Da SilvaPosted: 6:39 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 12, 2023

Out-of-province surgeries contracted by Manitoba’s COVID-19 pandemic backlog task force have devoured about 18 per cent of its multimillion-dollar budget but account for less than one per cent of the procedures funded by the group.

Diagnostic and surgical recovery task force chairman Dr. Peter MacDonald has pulled back the curtain on the cost to send patients to hospitals in northwestern Ontario, North Dakota, Ohio, and other Canadian and U.S. destinations.

Approximately 18 per cent of the task force budget paid for contracts inked with surgical centres outside of Manitoba and to cover eligible travel expenses incurred by patients, he said.

It had a $40-million budget in 2021-22, and a $110-million budget in 2022-23.

The orthopedic surgeon was unable to provide the exact amount spent when asked by the Free Press.

“We are seeing that patients have had a very high satisfaction rate — and just to reiterate that this is a short-term measure until we build in-province capacity,” MacDonald said June 7, after announcing a $1.8-million, two-year agreement with the Sleep Disorder Centre at Misericorida Health Centre in Winnipeg.

“So, we don’t expect this out-of-province care to be a long-term solution to our backlogs.”

The province and task force have emphasized the relatively small number of patients receiving surgery out-of-province in comparison to tens of thousands of procedures completed in Manitoba and paid for by the task force.

It has paid for more than 72,300 procedures since it was struck in December 2021, including 43,600 in the public health system, the province said.

Just 478 surgeries were performed on Manitobans willing to travel outside the province— or less than 0.01 per cent of all task force funded procedures — as of early June.

Manitoba Health Coalition director Thomas Linner said the cost to send people away is a “staggeringly expensive and wildly inefficient use of taxpayer dollars,” at the same time, proposals by local physicians and health-care leaders languish without funding.

“This needs to be a wake-up call for the government, for the task force and for Manitobans about what is being done on this issue and how much time, quite frankly, has been wasted on these efforts which should have been conducted within the public system,” Linner said.

The coalition — which is chaired by Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson and has board members from various labour groups — bills itself as a non-partisan advocacy organization.

It has been highly critical of the task force’s use of private, for-profit medical organizations in its efforts to eliminate pandemic backlogs, claiming the province has prioritized private corporations over the public system.

The government has argued out-of-province surgery provides an option to Manitobans in need of spine, hip, knee, foot, ankle and shoulder procedures to access care faster and improve quality of life.

The need for such agreements was identified by doctors to address backlogs, the government has said.

Linner called the program a distraction.

“Individual success stories simply cannot make up for the loss of time, the loss of money and the loss of attention to the kind of capacity that’s necessary within Manitoba,” he said.

Prior to Friday, the Progressive Conservative government had refused to say how much the out-of-province surgery program has cost taxpayers.

However, in response to a request for comment from Health Minister Audrey Gordon, the government changed its stance and revealed less than $24 million had been spent on out-of-province surgeries.

The tab includes more than $440,000 for patients’ travel and accommodation expenses.

The task force is tracking expenses and final audited numbers will be posted as part of regular Manitoba Health financial reporting, the spokesperson said.

The value of contracts with hospitals in the United States — most of which were untendered — and the average cost per procedure remain unknown.

Contracts with stateside hospitals are not included on the province’s proactive disclosure portal, which reports information on contracts valued at $10,000 or more. Agreements with private surgical centres located in Manitoba are disclosed.

The task force has, however, acknowledged the surgeries would be more expensive than if they’d been done in Manitoba, but assured the public the province received a good deal.

“The total cost of agreements with out-of-province partners… could only be reported retrospectively as we are billed for care provided to each patient,” the spokesperson said.

Doctors Manitoba past-president Dr. Candace Bradshaw said out-of-province surgeries are an acceptable option only as long as they are short term and there is significant public demand and limited capacity.

“This approach is not new, and was used in the early 2000s to address a short-term need for radiation therapy,” Bradshaw said in a statement.

However, doctors want the primary focus to be on building surgical and diagnostic capacity in Manitoba, she said. “We continue to look for opportunities for physicians to work with the health system and the task force to develop local solutions to unreasonably long patient wait lists.”

NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara said the approximately $24 million spent to deliver care to 478 people is an exorbitant expense.

“If those dollars had been invested in improving health-care access here in Manitoba, far more Manitobans would have gotten the surgeries they need at a fraction of the cost,” the Union Station MLA said.

“We’re spending more money than what is necessary and we’re not helping as many people as we should be because of the PCs’ approach.”

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/2023/06/12/taxpayers-paid-24m-for-out-of-province-surgeries

[Tracker]

Just now, Wideleft said:

For 478 patients...

Taxpayers paid $24M for out-of-province surgeries

By: Danielle Da SilvaPosted: 6:39 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 12, 2023

Out-of-province surgeries contracted by Manitoba’s COVID-19 pandemic backlog task force have devoured about 18 per cent of its multimillion-dollar budget but account for less than one per cent of the procedures funded by the group.

Diagnostic and surgical recovery task force chairman Dr. Peter MacDonald has pulled back the curtain on the cost to send patients to hospitals in northwestern Ontario, North Dakota, Ohio, and other Canadian and U.S. destinations.

Approximately 18 per cent of the task force budget paid for contracts inked with surgical centres outside of Manitoba and to cover eligible travel expenses incurred by patients, he said.

It had a $40-million budget in 2021-22, and a $110-million budget in 2022-23.

The orthopedic surgeon was unable to provide the exact amount spent when asked by the Free Press.

“We are seeing that patients have had a very high satisfaction rate — and just to reiterate that this is a short-term measure until we build in-province capacity,” MacDonald said June 7, after announcing a $1.8-million, two-year agreement with the Sleep Disorder Centre at Misericorida Health Centre in Winnipeg.

“So, we don’t expect this out-of-province care to be a long-term solution to our backlogs.”

The province and task force have emphasized the relatively small number of patients receiving surgery out-of-province in comparison to tens of thousands of procedures completed in Manitoba and paid for by the task force.

It has paid for more than 72,300 procedures since it was struck in December 2021, including 43,600 in the public health system, the province said.

Just 478 surgeries were performed on Manitobans willing to travel outside the province— or less than 0.01 per cent of all task force funded procedures — as of early June.

Manitoba Health Coalition director Thomas Linner said the cost to send people away is a “staggeringly expensive and wildly inefficient use of taxpayer dollars,” at the same time, proposals by local physicians and health-care leaders languish without funding.

“This needs to be a wake-up call for the government, for the task force and for Manitobans about what is being done on this issue and how much time, quite frankly, has been wasted on these efforts which should have been conducted within the public system,” Linner said.

The coalition — which is chaired by Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson and has board members from various labour groups — bills itself as a non-partisan advocacy organization.

It has been highly critical of the task force’s use of private, for-profit medical organizations in its efforts to eliminate pandemic backlogs, claiming the province has prioritized private corporations over the public system.

The government has argued out-of-province surgery provides an option to Manitobans in need of spine, hip, knee, foot, ankle and shoulder procedures to access care faster and improve quality of life.

The need for such agreements was identified by doctors to address backlogs, the government has said.

Linner called the program a distraction.

“Individual success stories simply cannot make up for the loss of time, the loss of money and the loss of attention to the kind of capacity that’s necessary within Manitoba,” he said.

Prior to Friday, the Progressive Conservative government had refused to say how much the out-of-province surgery program has cost taxpayers.

However, in response to a request for comment from Health Minister Audrey Gordon, the government changed its stance and revealed less than $24 million had been spent on out-of-province surgeries.

The tab includes more than $440,000 for patients’ travel and accommodation expenses.

The task force is tracking expenses and final audited numbers will be posted as part of regular Manitoba Health financial reporting, the spokesperson said.

The value of contracts with hospitals in the United States — most of which were untendered — and the average cost per procedure remain unknown.

Contracts with stateside hospitals are not included on the province’s proactive disclosure portal, which reports information on contracts valued at $10,000 or more. Agreements with private surgical centres located in Manitoba are disclosed.

The task force has, however, acknowledged the surgeries would be more expensive than if they’d been done in Manitoba, but assured the public the province received a good deal.

“The total cost of agreements with out-of-province partners… could only be reported retrospectively as we are billed for care provided to each patient,” the spokesperson said.

Doctors Manitoba past-president Dr. Candace Bradshaw said out-of-province surgeries are an acceptable option only as long as they are short term and there is significant public demand and limited capacity.

“This approach is not new, and was used in the early 2000s to address a short-term need for radiation therapy,” Bradshaw said in a statement.

However, doctors want the primary focus to be on building surgical and diagnostic capacity in Manitoba, she said. “We continue to look for opportunities for physicians to work with the health system and the task force to develop local solutions to unreasonably long patient wait lists.”

NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara said the approximately $24 million spent to deliver care to 478 people is an exorbitant expense.

“If those dollars had been invested in improving health-care access here in Manitoba, far more Manitobans would have gotten the surgeries they need at a fraction of the cost,” the Union Station MLA said.

“We’re spending more money than what is necessary and we’re not helping as many people as we should be because of the PCs’ approach.”

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/2023/06/12/taxpayers-paid-24m-for-out-of-province-surgeries

And there is good reason to believe these numbers are way under-reported,

[blue_gold_84]

Not a bug; just another feature.

[rebusrankin]

Spending 18% of the money allocated to address 1% of the backlog seems like both a poor use of funds and is not fiscally conservative.

[JCon]

2 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

Spending 18% of the money allocated to address 1% of the backlog seems like both a poor use of funds and is not fiscally conservative.

As long as they break the system, they'll have achieved their goals. 

[blue_gold_84]

Really makes one wonder what the actual **** conservatives are trying to conserve. 

[Wideleft]

1 minute ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Really makes one wonder what the actual **** conservatives are trying to conserve. 

Profit for private interests.

[HardCoreBlue]

30 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

Profit for private interests.

Capitalism fixes all don’t you know.

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Capitalism fixes all don’t you know.

I have no problem with true capitalism, bring it on, it's the controlled capitalism that eliminates competition and puts industries in the hands of a select few that I detest.  Crony capitalism is not much different than communism, in that much of our lives are controlled by a roomful of supreme assholes.

[Tracker]

21 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

I have no problem with true capitalism, bring it on, it's the controlled capitalism that eliminates competition and puts industries in the hands of a select few that I detest.  Crony capitalism is not much different than communism, in that much of our lives are controlled by a roomful of supreme assholes.

Greed and lust for power is the problem, not necessarily the political label. That said, capitalism has an inbuilt bias towards accumulation of power through unbridled competition. It is very much an ego-driven process and thus a short step to manipulating systems to promote self-serving goals and from thence to illegal means to achieve same. While not perfect, true socialism can function only in a vibrant democracy and by extension, will accept losing public favour and thus elections. 

[GCn20]

It's time for this government to go.

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canada-growth-council-election-interference-1.6878376

Quote

An out-of-province conservative group that has attacked the Manitoba NDP through billboards and mass text messages has registered with Elections Manitoba as a third party for the upcoming fall election.

The Canada Growth Council's registration comes days after the Opposition NDP filed a complaint with Elections Manitoba over alleged violations of rules governing third-party advertising, including that the group had yet to register and was trying to interfere in Manitoba's election.

The Regina-based group is also behind a mass-message campaign that sent images of attack ads, as well as text messages, to many Manitoba phone numbers last week.

 

The ads compare Kinew's policies to those of Singh and Trudeau, claiming Kinew would distribute "free heroin and hard drugs for criminals" and would defund the police if elected Manitoba's premier on Oct. 3.

The text messages refer to Kinew as "a convicted criminal" and allege he is "in an alliance" with Singh and Trudeau.

Current and past directors of the Canada Growth Council include former Saskatchewan Party officials, according to corporate records.

**** the CGC and their heinous misinformation campaigns.

[Mark H.]

On 2023-06-14 at 10:35 AM, GCn20 said:

It's time for this government to go.

The problem with any government going - is that the good MLAs usually also exit.

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, Mark H. said:

The problem with any government going - is that the good MLAs usually also exit.

Yes...that's true, but at the same time bad governments need to start from scratch if they are going to rebuild.

1 hour ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canada-growth-council-election-interference-1.6878376

**** the CGC and their heinous misinformation campaigns.

Kinew is a convicted criminal. They got that part right.

[blue_gold_84]

Imagine defending the ghouls at the Canada Growth Council.

[rebusrankin]

So GC, you're ok with the introduction of PAC style politics with the Canadian Growth Council? How about individuals from other provinces (They have ties to Moe's party, as well as the Manning foundation) influencing local politics?

[Mark H.]

Treaty education coming to Manitoba Schools.

https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/?archive=&item=59968
The end game is a compulsory grade 12 Indigenous Studies course.

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/crime-initiatives-downtown-winnipeg-1.6898723

Quote

More police, more surveillance cameras and lights, and new all-purpose vehicles for police are part of a $10-million package announced Thursday that the premier says will make downtown Winnipeg safer.

Citing unacceptable escalating rates of violent crime in the city's core, Premier Heather Stefanson said 24 new officers dedicated to downtown safety measures will put "more boots on the ground."

That will allow police to double the number of foot patrols downtown, said Chief Danny Smyth. The officers will cover areas including The Forks and the Exchange District.

There will also be more eyes in the sky, with the addition of 75 closed-circuit cameras, bringing the downtown total to 100.

"Manitobans have the right to safely live, work and play in our downtown communities. Whether it's for concerts, sports games or to visit a local shop, residents and visitors to our city should be able to enjoy all that Winnipeg has to offer," Stefanson said during an announcement at the corner of Portage Avenue and Main Street.

Making downtown safe and attractive will make it thrive, and that helps drive the economic engine, she said.

"We're here today to support law enforcement officers who are working diligently to make our streets safer. Enough is enough. Let's defend our police officers, not defund them," Stefanson said.

Address the root causes? Nah.

What a moron.

[Fatty Liver]

3 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/crime-initiatives-downtown-winnipeg-1.6898723

Address the root causes? Nah.

What a moron.

These responses are all scripted, they're following the same playbook.

‘Whatever it takes’: Smith pledges 100 new police officers for Edmonton, Calgary

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/province-to-announce-new-measures-addressing-transit-safety

 

Next up, publicly funded privately operated involuntary drug treatment centres built in the Hinterlands, outta sight, outta mind.

https://calgary.citynews.ca/2023/05/15/danielle-smith-ucp-mandatory-plan/

 

[Tracker]

22 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/crime-initiatives-downtown-winnipeg-1.6898723

Address the root causes? Nah.

What a moron.

What typically happens when you put more police in a given area, you get more arrests and fatter crime statistics which evokes the political response. "See? I told you". The crime rate usually dips a bit but ultimately returns to former rates. The increased arrests are usually of minor crimes.

[Brandon]

3 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/crime-initiatives-downtown-winnipeg-1.6898723

Address the root causes? Nah.

What a moron.

I'm dying to hear what you think are the root causes.        

[Tracker]

4 hours ago, Brandon said:

I'm dying to hear what you think are the root causes.        

Poverty, broken families and communities, lack of education, poor housing, poor diet.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Tracker

[Bigblue204]

On 2023-07-06 at 9:00 PM, Tracker said:

Poverty, broken families and communities, lack of education, poor housing, poor diet.

Add severe generational trauma to that list

[Noeller]

 

[GCn20]

On 2023-07-06 at 9:00 PM, Tracker said:

Poverty, broken families and communities, lack of education, poor housing, poor diet.

Definitely those are some of the core issues of crime rate. I think that enforcement requires and deserves all the dollars it gets, and is completely necessary as well. Systemic changes are slow, and take time to root. People deserve public safety in the meantime.

On 2023-06-16 at 9:42 AM, rebusrankin said:

So GC, you're ok with the introduction of PAC style politics with the Canadian Growth Council? How about individuals from other provinces (They have ties to Moe's party, as well as the Manning foundation) influencing local politics?

No different than what the unions do on a regular basis in all elections. However, I would support a ban on all 3rd party advertising beginning 6 months from an election date. Just has to be fairly applied. Any group, union, etc violating would be subject to large fines. I'd love to see politics free of special interest groups at elections time.

Edited July 31, 2023 by GCn20