The Sun Country Health Region has released what will likely be the last of its annual reports.
The comprehensive document, which examines the activity levels, operations, services and the finances of the health region in 2016-17, while also examining wages, was released at the end of last month.
“Overall the report just reflects the activity level taking place in Sun Country,” said John Knoch, the vice-president of corporate and finance and the acting president and CEO. “We have a lot of really dedicated staff, and they’re doing really good work all across Sun Country, generally speaking. We’ve identified areas where we continue to need to work and focus.”
Financial statements for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2017, showed that revenues were at $160.4 million, which was about $500,000 higher than the previous year, and well above the budgeted amount of $157.1 million.
The Ministry of Health provided $143.4 million in funding, while patient and client fees came in at $11.2 million.
Expenses were at $163.6 million, for a deficit of about $3.1 million. Salaries accounted for $87.6 million of the expenses, and benefits were another $17.5 million.
The expenses were up from $162.1 million the previous year.
The report also includes the wages of all personnel earning at least $50,000 in salaries, wages and honourariums. It’s a lengthy list that includes both employees and managers.
Two managers who retired at the end of the fiscal year on March 31 were the top wage earners. Former president and CEO Marga Cugnet received $930,555.
“That amount of money did include several different components,” said Knoch. “One is her annual salary was included in there, so there’s salary for a full year. There is a separation agreement that had been arranged, as well as some outstanding vacation time that she was not able to take in previous years.”
She was paid just over $300,000 in 2015-16.
Former vice-president of health facilities Murray Goeres received $552,419, compared to approximately $196,000 the previous year.
They were the only employees to receive more than $200,000 in compensation last year.
Knoch noted Cugnet and Goeres had more than 35 years of experience in health care.
As for the rest of the document, according to eHealth Saskatchewan’s most recent Covered Population Report, there were 60,124 people residing in Sun Country, as of June 30, 2016. Forty-nine per cent of the health region was female and 51 per cent was male. The 25-44 age group accounted for the largest share at 27.7 per cent.
Forty-two per cent of residents are in the two cities, Estevan and Weyburn.
The health region had 4,288 total calls to Emergency Medical Services last year, compared with 4,409 the previous year. Ambulances travelled 673,124 kilometres, which was also down from 692,735 kilometres a year earlier.
There were 912 calls for Estevan, and the ambulance travelled 131,018 kilometres. The previous year, 933 calls were received and 127,113 kilometres were travelled.
A total 1,453 procedures were performed, compared with 903 the previous years. And 258 cataract surgeries were performed, after the service wasn’t offered the previous year.
The health region had 125 Workers’ Compensation Board claims. Nine physicians were hired and six left the region.
A total of 280 employees were hired, and 279 departed, which included 48 retirements.
The document also recaps the health system priorities, looks at what the health region is doing to enhance primary care and mental health partnerships to improve patient care; and examines how it is trying to create a culture of safety.
The report also noted the new provincial linen service began serving customers from a new plant in Regina in 2015. The one-year anniversary of the transition was marked last October.
Sun Country reported that the transition happened with very few issues.
The report also notes that the provincial government announced its intention at the start of 2017 to bring Saskatchewan’s health regions together into one regional health authority for the entire province. While a date for the transition has yet to be announced, it is expected to happen before the end of the year.
The government has announced the board members and the CEO for the health authority. Sun Country board chair Marilyn Charlton will be part of the new board.
The full copy of the annual report can be found on the Sun Country website.
