The Dryden Regional Health Centre has passed a balanced operational and capital budget for the year 2011.“I think our estimates coming in around $20,000 over budget, but on a $21 million dollar budget, that’s manageable,” says hospital CEO, Wade Petranik.“This is based on assumption of zero per cent from the Ministry, so we are anticipating we will get some money from the Ministry this year,” reasoned Petranik.  “Sounds like since the Ontario budget came out last Tuesday, it looks like around one and a half per cent, somewhere in there, so we should be in good shape then.”The CEO says it gets harder every year to balance the budgets, with the overall spending in the hospital sector expected to rise.  Staff are looking at efficiencies wherever they can, while saving money.“Fortunately, we haven’t had to look at any service cuts, or layoffs or any major restructuring like that.  We’ve been looking at other efficiencies throughout the organization,” stated Petranik.The CEO says the board is looking at a quiet year for the capital budget, having spent a significant amount of money in previous years on projects such as the CT project and the new ultrasound machine.“This year it’s kind of scaled back, more infrastructure things.  We need a new sterilizer, we need new OR lights, an upgrade, some monitors.  Nothing very romantic there,” chuckled Petranik.  “We’re going to be putting in some solar panels on the Family Health Team building to offset some of our electricity costs, so we’re hoping that’s going to be a good return for us.”

By Ally Dunham