Jack Danylchuk
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 11/00) - Surgeons at the Stanton Regional Hospital want to know why they were left out in the cold when the decision was made to merge the surgical and pediatric wards.

Dr. Chris Blewett said he and other surgeons at Stanton are outraged because they received no warning of the plan, which he said would "profoundly affect" the quality of patient care.

"We don't want this to happen, as a group. We're unhappy that they went ahead and cooked up this plan without ever asking us," said Blewett.

"The atmosphere in the hospital has gone from great to terrible ... since the announcement, it's bordering on mutiny."

Although the rumour mill was working overtime, Blewett said the hospital staff did not receive official word of the merger until it was announced to the media by Stanton's chief executive officer, Dennis Cleaver, last week.

"It was just sprung on us," said Blewett.

Cleaver said the move would slash $350,000 annually from Stanton's $48 million budget. The hospital is currently operating at a deficit of $1.3 million.

Further cost-cutting measures are inevitable as the board works to eliminate the deficit, said Cleaver.

Blewett says patients will be the real victims as a result of this move.

"There is no question -- patients are better cared for on a ward dedicated to surgical patients with nurses who are dedicated to looking after them. The results are better," said Blewett.

"... We want our patients looked after by nurses who are experienced and are doing it because they want to be doing it, not because they are being forced to do it.

"That's what's happening, they're forcing surgical nurses to work on a pediatric ward, and they are forcing pediatric nurses to look after surgical patients," he said.

The staff understands the need to introduce cost-cutting measures to ensure the deficit is erased, said Blewett, but he believes this was not the most practical solution.

"We're all for fiscal restraint and we're all for cutting where things need to be cut, but there are areas where things can be cut without affecting patient care," he said.

Blewett said the hospital board should have consulted with the staff before making any decisions, or at least informed them before it was publicly announced.

"Then it would have been everybody's plan. Everybody would know whether this is the best we can come up with or not," he said. "Then everybody would be happy and feel valued and respected, but instead everyone feels devalued and disrespected."