Tories tell Manitoba health regions to find millions in savings in 2017

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has been told by the province to find more than $80 million in savings in 2017-18, CBC News has learned.

The WRHA confirmed Wednesday that as part of the province's push to ensure no health authority incurs a deficit, it has been given a target of finding $83million in savings in its $2.6 billion budget.

The province's other four regional authorities have been handed down individual targets of the their own, including $6 million for the NorthernRegional Health Authority, according to a memo sent to NRHAstaff last week.

TheNRHA, which serves over 74,000 northernManitobans, outlined how it will attempt to find the savings, including through vacancy management,only providing funding forinsured services,and reviewing transport requests for northern patients.

In 2015-16, theNRHAspent over $230 million providing health care to a region that spans almost 400,000 square kilometres. A review into the use and costs ofmedevacsis also currently underway, the memo notes.

"At this point in our planning, it is unknown what impact there will be on programs and positions," NRHACEOHelgaBryant saidin a memo dated Feb. 24, which wasprovided by the Opposition NDP and tabled during the opening session of Manitoba's legislature on Wednesday.

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The NRHA also serves 26 First Nations communities, including some of Manitoba's most remote First Nations.

ManitobaKeewatinowiOkimakanakGrandChiefSheilaNorth Wilson told CBC News she was not consulted by theNRHAor government onits funding decisions.

"At the very least they shouldn't be decreasing spending and they should be consulting with us as First Nations people. We can tell them where we seedeficiencies, and they are manydeficiencies," she said, pointing to the expenses incurred bymedevacsfrom remote communities.

"They don't invest in prevention programs."

Paul Thomas, a professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said controlling spending in the health-care system is a difficult task for governments. Savings can be found by cutting executive positionsor middle management, but there is always the concernit will affect services, he said.

"Demand always exceeds supply and it is very hard to turn people away when the issue is life and death," he said.

"At some point, if you cut too deeply, you are cutting into services and people will notice that, and wait times will go up."

The directives to health authorities comeon the heels of a much-anticipatedreview of Manitoba's health-care system by consultantsKPMG.

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The review was ordered by the Progressive Conservativesto identify efficiencies, and the Tories say it willinfluence decisions made in the upcoming budget.

The interim copy of the reviewhas been in the hands of the Pallister government since late January and the final version is expected this month.

'No magic rabbit' for controllingcosts

Thomas said the directive has the potential to pressure the authorities to find savings, but onlyin small doses.

"There aresimply no easy choices, no magic rabbit to be pulled from a hat that will solve this problem," he said. "[But]if you squeeze hard enough, you'll squeeze out some productivity and savings."

CBC news reported on Wednesday that the directivefor the authorities to balance their budgets came down from Health Minister KelvinGoertzen in mandate letters to the authorities' boards of directors in December.

Goertzen was not available for comment, but both he and Premier Brian Pallister has been steadfast in their mantra that the health care system is under significant pressure costs continue to rise and the federal government has so far refused to budge on its plan to raise health transfers by three per cent.

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"The financial challenges faced by our government cannot be understated, especially with the federal share of health care funding continuing to erode," wrote spokeswoman Amy McGuinness in a prepared statement.

"We expect all regional health authorities, including the WRHA, to take the steps necessary to provide patients with quality care while balancing the need to ensure that their operations are managed in a way that is sustainable in the long term."