Yesterday, we spoke in this space about the high costs of health care in this province.
Today, we focus on one of the hidden costs, one of the little over-runs that politicians will not be rushing to discuss in public.
"e-health" is all the rage.
Every jurisdiction in the land is pouring millions of tax dollars into the belief that all of your health care info should be in cyberspace and available at a mouse click to anyone who needs it asap.
Fair enough.
Trouble is, kids, corruption abounds.
"e-health" and e-anything is the new cement.
Used to be that when a new highway was being built somewhere, all you had to do is ask, "Whose cousin got the cement contract?"
Now, the game is the same, only the players and the sticky stuff have changed.
Charges laid against three linked to e-health project
Former top bureaucrat, MD consultant among those accused of corruption
In BC, the e-health caper is worth $259 million.
We Three Little Pigs have been hit with 16 charges of influence peddling, fraud and such.
In Ontario, the Auditor-General concluded $1-billion of taxpayer money had been mismanaged on that province’s e-health system. David Caplan resigned as health minister on the day the review was released last October.
Will The Falcon resign?
Not on your stethoscope.
Mr. Falcon stressed that the allegations stem from events that took place long before he took over the Health portfolio.
But they did take place on somebody's watch? Could we have that sucker up front and centre for an axplanation, please?
Not likely.
So...
In addition to all of the inefficiencies in the sytem, we now know that one of the reasons that our health care eats up so much of the budget is plain old-fashioned theft.
Yes, that's very healthy, thanks.
And has the Premier demanded answers on this misuse and abuse of public funds?
Seacrh me. I've been out of town for a few weeks.
Was that right between the Crosby goal and the closing ceremonies?
