New health CEOs prove boards powerless, Liberals say

The Opposition Liberals say Health Minister Ted Flemming's decision to replace the chief executive officers of the province's two regional health authorities is undeniable proof that the boards are powerless.

Flemming made the move on Thursday without the approval of the boards of directors, which he can do, according to law.

Liberal MLA Donald Arseneault, the opposition's health critic, said that decision proves the election of health board members last May was meaningless.

"Makes you wonder, why is there a board if the minister's always going to bypass them and go straight to the CEO?" he asked.

There was no pretense of independence when Flemming named John McGarry and Rino Volpé as the top executives of the Horizon and Vitalité health networks on Thursday.

The minister said both individuals will not leave their jobs inside the Department of Health.

"They each are also maintaining their positions as co-presidents of the Office of Health Renewal," Flemming had said.

McGarry and Volpé were appointed last year to the health renewal office, which was set up to find ways to reduce the cost of delivering health care closer to the national average by 2016-17.

This isn't the first reminder that health authority CEOs are not employees of the authorities, but work for the government.

In October 2011, when some rural health services were cut, Premier David Alward pointed the finger at Horizon.

"They've taken what they feel would be the best decision for the health authority," the premier had said.

But a leaked letter from then-Horizon CEO Donald Peters revealed the $4 million cuts were made at the government's insistence and Horizon hadn't been given time to analyze their impacts.

The new CEOs are slated to take over on Feb. 1.