Although financial details were not immediately available to the general public, Sun Country Health Region's board of directors approved an operating budget of $137 million for 2012-13 fiscal year during their May 30 meeting. They also put their stamp of approval on a 2011-12 financial statement that indicated a $2.1 million surplus.
The region had entered 2011 with a budget of just under $132 million.
Pam Haupstein, vice-president of finance for the region, provided some verbal highlights from the financial report, noting that of the $2.1million surplus, about $865,000 would have to be applied to mortgages and there was a capital deficit of around $2.4 million.
Haupstein also noted that salaries across the region were up by $800,000. Salaries for about 2,200 employees currently gobble up about 80 per cent of the Sun Country total revenues.
With only a slight increase in provincial funding marked for this fiscal year, Haupstein and Sun Country's interim CEO Marga Cugnet suggested that this will be a tight, status quo year with some savings recognized through staff vacancies that will go unfilled in various departments.
"The one good thing about this, is the fact that it didn't have to impact any programs," said Cugnet.
Later, during a media interview, Cugnet stated that, as it has been in the past, there was only a minor amount in the provincial funding for capital costs (about $200,000) and infrastructure ($250,000) so the health region will again "depend mostly on our trust funds and foundations for support," when it comes to providing money for capital projects, which will include equipment purchases, facility maintainance and additional programming or supports.
She added that some of the region's community-based health foundations do relatively well with a good amount of funds carrying over from one year to the next while others don't have much in reserve. But, she noted, when needs are identified, the population in the affected community usually rallies together.
The balanced budget that was forwarded to the Ministry of Health will outline several targeted service improvements planned for this fiscal year such as a chronic disease program, partnership with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency for colorectal cancer screening, primary health-care team promotion and surgical appointments within six months of being booked for a surgery.
The administration has also noted that the LEAN efficiency project will continue to roll out to more health-care centres.
In the prepared report, Sun Country said about $1.3 million in equipment purchases like ambulances, Telehealth units, hematology machines for laboratories and dishwashers will have to be funded through partnerships with local communities.
As it was reported earlier, Sun Country did realize some general efficiencies throughout the system by participating in the province-wide purchasing and product standardization purchasing plan for some supplies. The provincial shared services system appeared to be working, Haupstein reported earlier.
