EUPHEMISMS AND OTHER CRAP

The following item is a response to my article on NDP Outsourcing and Merging. Ena Boutlier asks how are euphemisms and misleading statements used to divert public attention from the provincial government's under funding of social programs and anti-labour practices. She concludes that these are actions of the ruling class rather than a matter of party or creed, and that the short term interests of a small segment of the society are leading us all in a very dangerous direction. This is certainly something worth thinking about. CS

 

EUPHEMISMS AND OTHER CRAP

By Ena Boutlier

 

The bourgeois media tries to conceal healthcare cuts behind euphemistic language such as that the “…provinces hospitals are declining in health” (http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/185585-auditor-general-ns-hospitals-in-declining-health) as the Auditor General commented last week. He also noted that the answer to improving hospitals is not about just spending money, because, “money is scarce” and that the province needs to “revamp its capital planning”. This is an interesting statement. For example, the province requested a meagre 109 million for infrastructure improvement, but was given only 12.5 million and requested 37 million for new equipment but was only given 11.6 million for the new equipment. According to the auditor general “money is scarce” and yet the NDP handed out 350 million dollars to Irving for ship building with the expectation that only 40 million of that amount would be repaid (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/23/ns-dexter-irv...)

 

The Chronicle Herald Article is contradictory and full of fabrications. On the one hand it notes that the auditor general is asking for 600 million dollars to “upgrade” the hospitals, and yet he also says that hospitals need to find ways to save money. He suggests to get “utilization data” on the way that equipment is used (this looks to me like a way to justify giving away the laundry to the private sector)

According the article, the Auditor General advised Dexter to get an independent opinion but Dexter refused, however they already did get an independent opinion of Ernst and Young in the form of a confidential, and subsequently leaked, report to the NDP (http://www.gov.ns.ca/DHW/publications/IWK_Shared_Services_Best_Practice_Examination.pdf)

 

The article quotes officials as being “surprised” that the NDP has not “…been on top of some of Auditor General’s cost-saving suggestions” already” and PC member Jamie Ballie noted that the NDP has “…missed many cost-saving opportunities by not properly funding health capital”.  Is this anything like Lenin’s point that finance capital is more important than capital from production of commodities? Seems like it.

 

There are some hints in the article that the NDP is taking laundry privation seriously: 1) the Auditor General repeatedly suggested “utilization tracking of equipment” to “…help the department in making decisions, such as where to place equipment and services and whether to replace the infrastructure”.  Highlighted is the fact that the hospitals are ridden with a lot of old equipment and Health minister David Wilson notes that they need to have a scoring system for equipment priorities. This is not surprising given Ernst and Young’s recommendations to privatise laundry and that the current government is trying to use the pseudo-science of “reports” to justify their refusal to upgrade equipment. By noting that 600 million is needed, but the province cannot even get a measly 100 million dollars.

 

The other aspect of the article is the way that the Auditor General highlights “computer systems containing personal health information at Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre” He notes that “confidential information is not always restricted to the people who need to see it…the passwords and encryption, and the organisations aren’t prepared for an emergency breakdown of information technology systems” ”Capital Health and IWK officials said their computer systems can’t handle new requirements in the province’s Public Health Information Act”. All of this is plain crap at a time when the province is talking about IBM to take over management of the SAP system (German software containing patient and employee records).

 

It is important to also point out that a number of euphemisms were used by former Health Minister such as “merging and consolidation” which essentially mean monopoly building in the form of outsourcing; something which former health minister said she would absolutely not let happen: (http://www.globalmaritimes.com/ns+to+merge+services+for+health+authoriti...

 

http://www.pccaucus.ns.ca/ndp-miss-opportunity-improve-healthcare-nova-s...).  Yet, as early as March of last year she advocated the “consolidation” of healthcare cuts in the South Shore region which were to be rolled out over 18 months such as IT, general administration, supply services, finance and payroll and some laundry consolidation  as well as so-called “opportunities” in human resources (see (http://southshorenow.ca/archives/2012/030712/news/index013.php). Ask any nurse how important clean laundry is and how it must be a guaranteed service in a hospital. Clean laundry is the foundation of a decent hospital and it should not be left to the chances and whims of the private sector intent on profiting off of the hospitals objective need for clean laundry and an essential part of the hospital organism.The filthy language endorsing “merging” utilizes a number of euphemisms and mysticisms:   "It will focus resources on patient care by reducing administrative cost and it will help the province get back to balance so that we can protect important public services," she said. "Without change, the system as it exists today is not sustainable."

 

What she is really saying is:

 

Privatisation and Outsourcing make sense. It will focus on screwing patients by reducing the costs associated with them and help the province pay the rich by dismantling and pissing all over public services. Like the World Bank said in the 1980s, health for all is not possible, and private selective healthcare is the way of the future.

 

So regardless of their creed or party, these bourgeois and their apologists fabricate together in the hope of making a buck to maintain their Babylonian lifestyle while they take the whole society into ruination…

 

Stop paying the Rich!!!