Hospital Chair Briglio finds Abbott to be a boffo health minister

Tony Briglio seemed almost zealous with his words, so effusive was he in passing along the accolades about Health Minister George Abbott over the weekend, going so far as to say that “he has never seen a health Minister so in touch with the needs of the North.”

Briglio’s fervent bout of admiration came after Abbott touched on a number of shared concerns about Health care in the Northwest during a recent tour of the Northern Health services in the region. Minister Abbot seemed to be particularly concerned about the plight of seniors on the North coast, a cause that is close to the hearts of many on the local health care scene.

Of course being “in touch with our needs” and delivering our requirements may be two different things! So it will be with interest that we watch to see how Mr. Abbott’s impressions of the Northwest, translate into provincial health policy over the short and long term.

Then we’ll know if we all should pick up the song book and join in on the Briglio chorale.

All songs of praise were reported on dutifully by the Daily news, complete with a front page story in Monday’s paper.

HOSPITAL BOARD BOSS LIKES HEALTH MINISTER’S DIAGNOSIS
Tony Briglio says George Abbot is in touch with the needs of the Northwest
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, July 30, 2007
Pages one and three

Tony Briglio has never seen a Health Minister so in touch with the needs of the North in his 25-plus years as a health care critic in British Columbia.

“I’d like to applaud Minister Abbott’s observations, and naming what the real issues in our community and the North are,” said Briglio, city councillor and chair of the Northwest Regional Hospital District.

“Recognizing that we do need resources for our seniors in particular in terms of the Acropolis Manor structure that we’re working on, and also the plight of the Northwest Regional Hospital District. Recognizing we’ve been working with Northern Health to have them realize that as a cost-saving measure, perhaps it would be a good idea to look at what the needs are going to be as we build, and perhaps add some additional capacity there from what the numbers are today.

“When you look at what we have, to what we’re going to have, it’s really only one bed more prior to Acropolis being scaled down,” he said. “As a starter, we had suggested to Northern Health not too long ago that they look at Acropolis Manor in the spirit of adding at least another 10 beds and perhaps save us a pile of money, when we’re going to have to do that anyway a couple of years down the line.”

Briglio’s praise of Minister Abbott comes a week after the head of provincial health took a four-day tour of the Northwest region, stopping in places including the Queen Charlotte Islands, Masset, Terrace and Prince Rupert.

The purpose of the minister’s visit was to speak with both health care workers and patients, to better identify the needs of the northern communities today and for the future.

“I think Minister Abbott certainly got a good flavour of what the issues are around our neck of the woods,” Briglio said. “He identified type two diabetes as being an issue among our demographic here, he identified the recruitment and retention issue, and although he points out the UNBC medical program, he doesn’t suggest that it’s the be-all to end-all, and rather that there are other things they are working on with the B. C. Medical Association to encourage more doctors and nurses to come. And from my perspective, I’d like to see what some of those things are, because that’s always been an issue with us, and it always has been an issue.”

Not only was Briglio pleased with the minister’s effort to get out of his office and tour the communities he is responsible for, but also that he genuinely understands what key problems places like Prince Rupert will be facing in the years to come.”

“The man obviously is either a quick studier or well-versed in terms of what the issues are here. So much so, that really I haven’t seen that in a minister before,” said Briglio. “It’s interesting that he took the time not only to come to our community but the surrounding area. That’s excellent.

”He’s recognizing that the North is an area where there’s a growth coming our way, and I think he’s being proactive here in terms of, hopefully, trying to assist us and garner us those things that we need for our community.

“He identified very clearly the issue of seniors, and when you speak to some government bureaucrats, the issue of seniors is not seen as one that’s of a growing nature in Prince Rupert, because historically in our area there’s been a young population base. But guess what? That young population base is guys like me who are getting on, and we’d like to reserve a room in Acropolis Manor.”