# Retirement of DGHS MGen  Mathieu



## JAFMA (22 Jan 2005)

Now that the DGHS has stated that she will retire in Apr / May. Anybody want to guess who is going to take over this position.  My bet is BGen Jager, any takers on this


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## Armymedic (23 Jan 2005)

I'll take you up on that...

She's Surg Gen, and a newly promoted BGen...watch for a non medical person to take over the task of DGHS as a BGen.


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## RatCatcher (24 Feb 2005)

Roger on that one...you know it is gonna be some HCA and has no clue about anything related to field ops....


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## Resq (1 Mar 2005)

HCAs cannot command. The MOC your looking to slag is HSO. Of course many HSOs are former Combat Arms personnel. Some HSOs are just plain medical branch folk right from the start. That means they served as a Platoon Officer in a Field Amb. Perhaps as a Trgo...attended Land Forces Command and Staff College (Foxhole U)...served a tour as a DCO of a Field Amb...maybe a tour as an Exchange Officer...likely a grad of the US AMEDD Courde in Fort Sam Houston. You need to get your facts straight before you slag an entire occupationor you'll end up slagging yourself by advertising your ignorance...oops I think you already did!


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## Donut (1 Mar 2005)

Welcome to the board, Resq.

And you would be speaking from, what, experience?  The lofty heights of command?  An out of date webpage?

Seems pretty accurate to me...

Whoever it is will probably be a CF member who has never in their professional lives laid hands on and helped a patient...i.e. an administrator, not an operator.

Probably of the same ilk as those that procure kit on the basis of cost, not operability, and vehicles on the basis of political expedience, not patient care. 

And you'll have to excuse us if we call a spade a shovel. You're either a clinician/operator, or you're not.  It's irrelevant how many courses you have, how much time at a service college you've accumulated, either you provide direct patient care, or you don't.  I, for one, would like more of the leadership of the HS to be comprised of people who have treated patients, not those who don't, or haven't.

DF


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## RatCatcher (1 Mar 2005)

Thanks for helping out there para, btw...got offered HCA when I joined the res, didnt take it. Thank god for that, I enjoyed treating people in both the res and the regs and now working as a PMed Tech.  And you are right about the courses, it's amazing how much common sense is NOT taught on courses...ie washing hands.


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## RatCatcher (1 Mar 2005)

Also, forgot to mention, I have alot of respect for some HCAs, some actually try to learn about all the medical trades. The majority don't however... sorry if you don't like that comment, but it is just an observation from personnal experience


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## Brad Sallows (2 Mar 2005)

>Whoever it is will probably be a CF member who has never in their professional lives laid hands on and helped a patient...

The flip side of that is the medical professional who has never undertaken to understand how the organization (army) functions in battle.  One must understand what one is supporting in order to plan support, not to mention to fit into whatever scheme is being run.  No question that there is an advantage having doctors do the medical planning, though.


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## Donut (2 Mar 2005)

I agree with that, Mr Sallows.  We seem to forever be seeking that elusive medium between "cadpat" and "red & white" ops, and it's at all levels in the HS.  

Lots of clinician who aren't leaders or planners, and lots of planners and leaders who aren't clinical.

DF


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## Resq (2 Mar 2005)

ParaMedTech: In answer to your query ref my quals and experience: Retired in 2002 after 35 yrs Reg Force. Medic 1Bn QOR of C (when it was in the Regular order of Battle , not Reserve), para qualified,  3PPCLI, remuster to Para Rescue/SAR Tech. SAR Diver...then Ship's Diving Officer qualified, Air Evac Course, Med Supply Course Medical Documentation Course,  Medic 6B, SAR Tech  Commissioned from the Ranks as an MAO but stayed at SAR school as SAR Trg O for 2 yrs. Posted to DCIEM as TRG O Experimental Diving Division...member of SAT Dive 81's 4 member dive team. DCO 1 Cdn Light Field Hospital. Special Projects Officer Chief of Personnel Careers and Senior Appoinments, Career Manager Medical/Dental/Postal NCMs, Senior Staff Officer Medical Ops and Administration Air Command HQ, Exghange as Canada/U.S. Intergrated Lines of Communication Officer (ILOC) Stuttgart Germany (Gulf War, Iraq). CO CFMG Det Esquimalt, reclassified as HSO, CO CCSFOR ASC Bosnia 97/98, Retired as Commandant Canadian Forces Medical Services School.


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## old medic (2 Mar 2005)

Welcome aboard resq,

I hope you will stick around and give our growing medical forum a nudge where needed.


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## Resq (3 Mar 2005)

Thanks. Happy to offer my opinion on issues. I don't expect that it has any more value than any other opinion expressed on this site. The focus is what's best for the medical branch and thus the soldiers we support.


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## Gunner98 (16 Mar 2005)

My two cents worth...

MGen Mathieu was an in fact an 'operator' as a Major in 1991, she deployed to Saudi Arabia to coordinate the deployment of the 1 Canadian Field Hospital during the Gulf War. 1 Cdn Fd Hosp was the first Canadian field unit to deploy to war since the Korean conflict. It was the only hospital of the Other Nations Medical Assistance Group to treat battle casualties in the combat zone.

There is some merit to allowing the Surgeon General to take care of patient care related issues and the Director General (non-clinical) to handle the political/financial/planning issues.  Our operational doctrine has the Formation Commander (non-clinical, non-snake wearing) and not the Senior Medical Authority making treatment decisions such as who to treat, who to ignore and who to abandon.

The CF Spectrum of Care for all uniformed members (and entitled civilians) is approved by the CDS through ADM-HR (Mil) neither of whom are medical or clinicians.

Major HCAs can and do command... CF Health Services Centres (formerly known as Base Medical Clinics).  In most cases they are in fact "Commanding Officers."


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## Gunner98 (18 Mar 2005)

A few people it won't be are shown here:

CANFORGEN 052/05 ADM HR MIL 021 162006Z MAR
CAPTAIN(N)/COLONEL PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS â â€œ (EXTRACT CFHS ONLY)

COL S.J. HNATIUK WILL BE APPOINTED COMMANDER 1 CANADIAN FORCES HEALTH SERVICES GROUP IN EDMONTON

COL D.E. HOGBERG WILL BE APPOINTED DEPUTY COMMANDER CANADIAN FORCES HEALTH SERVICES GROUP IN NDHQ

COL S. PATENAUDE WILL BE APPOINTED A/PD PMO RX2000 CANADIAN FORCES HEALTH SERVICES GROUP IN OTTAWA REPLACING COL D.E. HOGBERG

LCOL R. PUCCI WILL BE PROMOTED COL AND APPOINTED COMMANDER 4 HEALTH SERVICES GROUP IN MONTREAL REPLACING COL S. PATENAUDE

LCOL M.E. HABERSTOCK WILL BE PROMOTED COL AND APPOINTED DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF MEDICAL OPERATIONS AT NDHQ REPLACING CAPT(N) H. JUNG

CAPT(N) H.W. JUNG WILL PROCEED ON THE ADVANCED TRAINING LIST


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## Cliffy433 (6 Apr 2005)

Anyone heard anymore than what is above?  Do we have a name in the process?  I've been keeping an eye on the CANFORGENS, and none of the Comd/Key Appt ones have mentioned DGHS.  April is now upon us and it'd be nice to know who's in the breech.... it's a pretty big position - I hope the handover will be more than a week.

tlm.


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## Gunner98 (6 Apr 2005)

Change of Command scheduled for week of 19 April, Interim DGHS will be Capt(N) Kavanagh.  She has not been mentioned in lists either.  Still anyone's guess who will be next DGHS.


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## JAFMA (6 Apr 2005)

Can't see it being Capt (N) Kavanagh thought she was an MO, that is unless it is her brother Kevin.  If it is him we could do worse.


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## Gunner98 (7 Apr 2005)

MGen Mathieu announced yesterday that the new DGHS and Comd CFHS will indeed be Capt(N) Marg Kavanagh effective 21 Apr 05.  Her brother's name is Tim and is a Commander.


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## JAFMA (7 Apr 2005)

Thanks for the correction. Still thought that Capt(N) K was an MO, and that the DGHS was an HCA type post?  Anyway I ho;e that good comes out of this.


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## Gunner98 (7 Apr 2005)

Commodore  M. Kavanagh (she was promoted today 7 Apr 05) is indeed a Medical Officer (Flight Surgeon, Diving Medicine and Ship's Diver qualifications) and completed NATO Defence College in Rome. 

Similar to MGen Mathieu, Cmdre K is also a Certified Health Executive (Canadian College of Health Sevice Executives:  http://www.cchse.org ).  

Her biography: http://www.forces.gc.ca/dsa/app_bio/engraph/FSeniorOfficerBiographyView_e.asp?SectChoice=1&mAction=View&mBiographyID=316

Highlights:
"She has functioned in the capacity of a senior physician in a clinic/hospital setting (Borden and Lahr Germany), as a staff officer in Headquarters (Trenton, Bahrain and Ottawa) and most importantly as the Commanding Officer of 1 Field Ambulance in Calgary Alberta.

...Since 1998 she has served in the Canadian Forces Medical Group Headquarters as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Health Service Delivery, as the Deputy Chief of Staff Force Health Protection, as Deputy Chief of Staff Medical Operations and presently as the Deputy Commander Canadian Forces Medical Group."


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## bossi (8 Apr 2005)

And, once upon a time, Commodore K played hockey with us at CFB Toronto (back when she was a LCdr)!
Hooray for War On Ice!


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## Gunner (9 Apr 2005)

I knew Cmdre Kavanagh when she was CO 1 Fd Amb and, as an operator, she will be of great value to Health Svcs over the next couple of years.   I think Col Hilliary Jaeger would have been a good choice as well.

I didn't notice it on this thread but are they combining the roles of DGHS and Surgeon General or keeping them separate?


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## Teddy Ruxpin (9 Apr 2005)

The esteemed *BGen* Jaeger is currently the Surgeon General...  I should think she would be senior to Cmdre Kavanagh if Cmdre Kavanagh's just been promoted.

TR


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## Gunner (9 Apr 2005)

http://www.forces.gc.ca/dsa/app_Bio...iewBiling_e.asp?mAction=View&mBiographyID=116

Ah, I'm dating myself and will use the excuse that I was out of the country at the time.



> I should think she would be senior to Cmdre Kavanagh if Cmdre Kavanagh's just been promoted.



DGHS commands.  Surgeon General is an advisor.  Two medical officers wouldn't disagree on anything would they?


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## Gunner98 (9 Apr 2005)

I believe the Surg Gen is actually in Acting While So Employed (A/WSE) BGen position, whereas Cmdre K has been promoted into the rank.


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## Gunner98 (9 Apr 2005)

In fact Surg Gen's bio in the link above/below shows her as an A/BGen.

http://www.forces.gc.ca/dsa/app_Bio/engraph/FSeniorOfficerBiographyViewBiling_e.asp?mAction=View&mBiographyID=116


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## old medic (9 Apr 2005)

http://www.forces.gc.ca/health/news_pubs/engraph/CFHS_Bulletin_Oct04_BGenJaeger_e.asp

No mention of it here however.


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## Gunner98 (10 Apr 2005)

If you note the article in your link was written by the Medical Post reporter whereas the Director Senior Appointments page is an actual DND biography.  A/WSE to a civilian reporter or a civilian would make little sense.

When I was A/WSE I didn't run around with an A/ on my rank badge either.


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