Labs easy target, former manager says
04.09.2008 21:00
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
The Cameron inquiry heard testimony Thursday of drastic budget cuts at what would become part of Newfoundland and Labrador's largest health authority, now at the centre of public medical scandal. Dr. David Haegert, a pathologist who was in charge of the pathology labs in the Health Care Corporation of St. John's in the mid-1990s, testified that his boss at the time, former chief executive officer of Eastern Health, George Tilley, told him in 1996 that he had to find $1 million in savings from the laboratory budget. Haegert told the inquiry he felt the labs were an easy budget-cutting target, because they were costly to run, but the least visible to the public. "Laboratory medicine is somewhat removed from patient care," Haegert said. "Pathologists don't think that, and obviously the commission of inquiry clearly is based on the fact that it is involved in patient care, but I think there was the mindset that this was more like housekeeping or laundry services and this was an area where you could save money." Haegert said his lab laid off managers and did not replace people who retired. Haegert testified that Tilley seemed disappointed when he was unable to reach the $1 million target and only cut $700,000. The Health Care Corporation of St. John's was later merged with other health authorities in eastern Newfoundland to make the giant authority now at the centre of the inquiry, Eastern Health. Tilley took responsibilityTilley abruptly resigned from Eastern Health in July 2007 after being under fire for weeks over how the authority handled inaccurate laboratory tests involving hundreds of breast cancer patients. Tilley testified at the public inquiry in May. At the time, he took responsibility for the haphazard way in which cancer patients were informed of the botched tests. He told Justice Margaret Cameron that he wished things had been done differently with what he suggested was an overwhelming problem. Some patients were not informed by their doctors or the health authority that there had been a problem with testing spanning several years. Some patients admitted they learned of the mistakes through the media. The public inquiry headed by Cameron is investigating how 386 breast cancer patients received faulty hormone receptor tests, meant to determine an appropriate course of treatment, between 1997 and 2005. The inquiry has heard testimony that senior management at Eastern Health realized there was a testing problem in the summer of 2005. The problems began to surface in media reports in 2006. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksTilley takes responsibility for how patients learned of cancer test flawsFound Eastern Health pathology lab in disarray, expert testifies Eastern Health 'still struggling' with merger, court toldHealth HeadlinesC-section reduces mother's response to baby: studyMothers who push to give birth may be more responsive to the cry of their babies than those mothers who elect to have a caesarean birth, a brain-scanning study suggests.New study finds no link between measles vaccine and autismNew research further debunks any link between measles vaccine and autism, work that comes as the United States is experiencing a surge in measles cases fuelled by children left unvaccinated.Dutch medical isotopes unavailable until end of October, company saysCancer patients in Europe may face a longer wait for diagnostic tests and treatments as a nuclear reactor in the Netherlands that supplies medical isotopes extended its shutdown for potential safety reasons.Health officers considering cold shoulder for cold cutsIn the wake of a massive listeria outbreak believed to have killed 13 Canadians, provincial chief health officers have been talking about taking deli meats off the menus of health institutions.Gene domino effect behind brain, pancreatic tumoursScientists have mapped the cascade of genetic changes that turn normal cells in the brain and pancreas into two of the most lethal cancers. The result points to a new approach for fighting tumors and maybe even catching them sooner. Health FeaturesIN DEPTHGardasilSevere side-effects rare, concerns lingerYOUR INTERVIEWListeriosisDr. Allison McGeer answers your questionsVIDEOListeriosis Dr. Dara Maker answers questions about outbreak (4:35)IN DEPTHMedical isotopesThe backbone of nuclear medicineNUTRITIONFood supplyNorth America's most endangered foodsVIDEOUniversity nutritionDos and don'ts of dorm dining (5:46)People who read this also read …
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