Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 20/02) - The operational review now underway at Stanton Territorial Hospital is biased, claims two Yellowknife MLAs.

Great Slave MLA Bill Braden and Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent both said the oversight committee conducting the review cannot be trusted to be objective.

The review is being conducted by a four-person steering committee consisting of the deputy minister of health, two Stanton board trustees and the secretary to the financial management board.

Braden and Dent join Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee in her belief the review will not effectively address the staffing problems at the hospital.

"Who's to say this problem is only with administration. What if it's with the board or with the department?" Dent asked.

"I don't think the public can trust this will be an unbiased report if half the committee overseeing the process are board members and deputy ministers."

Braden agreed with Dent's comments and he said he recommended to the minister that an independent body be added to the review committee. He said that request was denied by the minister.

"I want there to be truly independent eyes and ears," said Braden.

Both Braden and Dent wrote letters to the minister expressing concerns with the review.