Board of trustees lacking members

The chair of Western Health's Board of Trustees says he hopes the Minister of Health soon appoints some new members to the board.

Dr. Tony Genge said the board is entitled to 15 to 18 board members from locations all across Western Health's jurisdiction. The board is currently functioning with eight members.

"We are short about half our membership. I understand some potential members have been called, but there have not been any appointments in a long time," he said. "We're hoping there will be appointments before too long."

He said members have been stepping down one by one over the past few years.

"Some have left the area. Some have resigned for personal reasons. I think all were appointed in 2005," he said.

As far as he knows, none of the members left on bad terms, and everyone left felling that they had accomplished something while on the board.

The board of trustees is responsible for making policy decisions for Western Health. Dr. Genge said most decisions apply to the whole region, although the board does make decisions specific to single hospitals and health centres.

The board is supposed to have members from a wide range of geographic areas. Dr. Genge said there are areas that do not currently have representation, although he declined to say which areas he feels are under-represented. He does not believe geographic diversity is a big issue for the board at the moment.

"Most of the issues that come before the board are policy issues. They concern the whole region. If something is not good for one region, then it's probably not good for the others," he said.

Where the small number of board members does become an issue is in sharing the workload. Board members serve on various subcommittees, and fewer board members mean greater workloads for those who remain.

Dr. Genge said the board of trustees has no part in appointment of new members. He said that process is solely up to the provincial Department of Health and Community Services.

A spokesperson for the department would only say that government is working to fill vacancies on the board. A formal announcement will be made once the process has been finalized.

reporter@gulfnews.ca