Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts

Thursday, 13 December 2007

An unhealthy income statement


Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong
Subject:     An Unhealthy Income Statement
Visit Time: 13/12/2007 2:48 AM

Remark:
Kevin Rudd is definitely a no-nonsense Prime Minister who keeps to his promises in rectifying the Kyoto Protocol, setting in motion to provide every Year 9 to Year 12 student a laptop computer, and expending $600 million to improve the hospital waiting list.

If he continues on at this pace, he will probably spend $2 billion to roll back the WorkChoices, if that was the amount claimed by Labor what Howard’s government had spent. He will also spend $42 billion for schools funding guarantee, $4 billion on high speed broadband network, $2 billion on health and hospitals reform, $1 billion to secure nation’s water supplies and desalination projects, $100 million for innovative manufacturing, and so on.

He will not forget to handout cheap travel for older Australians and provide a new 50% Education Tax Refund to help families of school-age children meet the costs of education. This Santa Clause will also help aspiring first home buyers save a larger deposit by establishing a new, low tax, First Home Saver Account.

If Australia is a listed public company with the Stock Exchange, I shall not be investing in it. Not a single pledge by Kevin Rudd involves in creating wealth for Australia. A healthy Income Statement (also known as Profit and Loss Statement or Statement of Financial Performance) requires more than just generous expenditure, but most importantly, income generation.

I sincerely hope that the income will be derived from company taxes in a rising economy rather than increased GST or income tax rates, which will badly affect the working families.

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Over simplified funding promises


Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong
Subject:     Over simplified funding promises
Visit Time: 28/11/2007 12:11 AM

Remark:
Computer technology advances very fast – computer hardware and software upgrades occur far too often. Giving rebates to students on purchase of computers, and providing computers to schools will be more than one-off event within 3 years – a term in government.

Many wards in hospitals are closed because of nurse shortage. With more funding just for the nurses, the hospital system is going to experience a much bigger “headache”. More patients require more doctors, specialists, anaesthetists, etc. Are these medical professionals funded? Even with money where can the hospitals find additional suitably qualified doctors, who are already in short supply worldwide?

More patients also mean provision of more non-clinical services – cleaning, laundry, foodservice, utility, etc. These services lead to more staff, and additional on-cost. Were these costed?

I am very concerned about cost blow-outs, by the Rudd’s government, the schools and the hospitals.

Tuesday, 24 October 2006

Bring the world back to their lives


Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong
Subject:     Bring the world back to their lives
Visit Time: 24/10/2006 11:36 PM

Remark:
It is a great idea that Eastern Palliative Care in Melbourne offers writing biographies of the terminally ill. As NATASHA JOHNSON puts it, this service helps to focus on easing the distress of the dying.

I was a volunteer community health visitor for several years. I visited bed-ridden or wheel chair bound sufferers in nursing homes. My role was to chat with them, 45 minutes to an hour a week. I looked forward meeting my clients, and so did my clients.

Visitors of residents in nursing home or patients in hospitals normally talk about the family affairs, something uninteresting nor mind stimulating. I was determined to bring a virtual world back to their lives during my visits. Our conversation would cover topics from current affairs to ancient history, from politics to religion, from medical breakthrough to testing another recipe in my own kitchen, etc. In fact we talked about anything and everything which they missed so much since the day they lost their mobility.

When you visit a patient next time, talk with him / her about what is happening beyond the boundary of the building. Don't let him / her feel losing contact with the real world!