GANDER, N.L. – There will be a slight delay in the release of the external review of Central Health.
According to Health Minister John Haggie, illness and weather has delayed what was expected to be the mid-May release of the findings from independent reviewer Dr. Peter Vaughn.
“It is important that we get that report and share it with everybody,” Haggie told media in Gander, May 7. “…but I’m hopeful it will be out before the end of this month.”
The health minister professed his own curiosity about Vaughn’s findings, as his department’s only involvement was establishing the terms of reference.
“Basically, he was given those to go work with,” said Haggie. “I wanted to make sure whatever came out of that review, was clean, independent, and the product of Dr. Vaughn’s investigation and nothing else.”
During the review process, both Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor had differing views about Central Health operations.
Grand Falls-Windsor didn’t have any particular issue with the health authority’s operations and feared it would result in a loss of services for the central town. Gander felt the review should be used to address ongoing recruitment and retention, management and governance issues.
When questioned about how the external review process has pitted communities against one another, Haggie noted it isn’t something unique to central Newfoundland or even the province.
“I think it would be interesting to see what Dr. Vaughn makes of the traditional kind of discussion about rivalry between communities,” he said, “to see how he puts that in context when he gives his report.”
The external review of Central Health was issued by the Department of Health Feb. 6, as a result of concerns being brought forward about the health authorities governance and senior management. At the time, Haggie noted recruitment and retention, along with lack of specialists and primary care physicians, as particular areas of concern.
