Nouvelles

Telegraph-Journal
p. A4, mardi, 18 novembre 2008

Cut costs, not care
Éditorial

Cutting alone will not produce the results New Brunswickers want. Government must find ways to slash waiting times and raise the standard of care. The Department of Health could meet all three goals by increasing efficiency.

New Brunswick's hospital network needs to be managed as one effective system, serving patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in both official languages. The government is working toward administrative solutions, such as electronic patient records, regional wait lists for surgery and centrally managed support services. It must also start managing health facilities to get the greatest value out each public investment.

Take MRIs and CT scanners, for example. These diagnostic machines cost millions. They're worth it, because they can pinpoint what is wrong quickly and without a battery of costly tests or exploratory surgery. Scanners become obsolete at the same rate, whether they are used frequently or just a few hours a day. It's in the best interest of patients and taxpayers to use them around the clock.

If diagnostic facilities were staffed 24 hours a day, many patients would be diagnosed more quickly. Waiting times would be reduced, and so would the cost of medical treatment, because the longer a patient must wait for diagnosis, the worse their condition is likely to become.

Other western democracies, from Germany to Switzerland to Denmark, have realized efficiency is a benchmark of good service in health care. Efficient treatment makes patients healthier, faster, and it gets better value out of expensive equipment. Both outcomes reduce the cost of providing care.

New technologies are giving New Brunswickers the opportunity to fine-tune the hospital network into an efficient, effective health care system. To make the most of this opportunity, the Department of Health needs to draw up a province-wide health care plan.

Facilities that could be used to greater capacity should be. Facilities that don't deliver patient benefits commensurate with their cost should be modified or closed. Parochial politics must play no part in the decision.