Pure North Funding Cancellation Welcomed

Friends of Medicare are pleased to see that Alberta's Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman has cancelled funding for the Precision Health clinic operated by Pure North after CBC News revealed the clinic had been offering unproven treatment to a patient.

"We are relieved that Minister Hoffman cancelled the funding to Pure North. This was the right decision. With finite resources for our health system we should not be using public funds for unsupported treatment," said Executive Director Sandra Azocar. "It's important for Alberta to support team based care initiatives, but we do need to have standards and accountability in place."

The CBC report also states that Alberta Health Services "dismissed (the) complaint" of a patient, saying they had "no authority over (the) private clinic".

"This situation speaks to unease many Albertans have who don't feel we have enough accountability for health care dollars awarded to private clinics and contractors," continued Azocar. "We only learned of this situation through CBC's investigative reporting and an outspoken patient. We hope to see proactive measures put in place by the Ministry so that we can catch any situations like this before they become a problem."

"We also have unresolved questions about how this funding was approved in the first place by the previous and current government, and we will be watching for more from the office of the Auditor General," Azocar concluded.