Sask. Health Authority ‘confident’ in AIMS, but workers say system makes accessing medical supplies difficult

WATCH: Health workers say there’s still significant procurement issues with AIMS system.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is scrapping the employee scheduling component of its new computer system but says the rest of the program will remain in use.

“I’m confident that the solution we have in the phase one component of AIMS will meet our needs,” SHA CEO Andrew Will said Thursday.

The Administrative Information Management System, known as AIMS, was designed to replace 80 separate systems with one platform for payroll, supply chain and scheduling across the health system.

The SHA says while it faced problems with the scheduling module, the system remains stable for payroll and supply chain functions, replacing 74 systems in total.

However, some health-care workers say the system has created new challenges.

Cindy Landry, a licensed practical nurse in North Battleford, says basic supplies such as syringes and needles have been difficult to access.

“There are times with the AIMS program I don’t have basic supplies,” Landry said. “I don’t have a catheter induction kit to put a catheter in safely.”

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SEIU-West president Lisa Zunti says the program lacks a backorder function, meaning items that are out of stock disappear from the ordering list.

“When they do get that item back in stock, it doesn’t show that I ever ordered it,” Zunti said.

Will acknowledged there is room for improvement with the system.

“We will need to continuously improve our processes as we go forward,” he said.

Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill says shelving the scheduling component will allow the province to focus resources on fixing other issues.

“As we’ve pulled back from this time-validation scheduling piece, that means there are more resources to address other issues in the system more quickly,” Cockrill told reporters Thursday.

The AIMS project was initially expected to cost $86 million. 3sHealth, a partner in the project, says the total cost had reached $272 million as of August.

NDP MLA Keith Jorgenson criticized the project’s cost.

“An enormous sum of money for something that does not work,” Jorgenson said. “The taxpayers of Saskatchewan deserve better. The health-care workers deserve better. And the patients of Saskatchewan deserve better.”