An article posted by the Globe and Mail last night alleges that Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of Alberta Health Services, was "dismissed two days before she was scheduled to meet with the province’s Auditor-General to discuss her investigation into procurement contracts and deals for private surgical facilities, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail”.
The article goes on to allege that the former CEO believes that "she was fired because she launched 'an internal investigation and forensic audit' into AHS’s contracts and procurement processes."
The full board of AHS was dismissed by the government shortly after.
“The allegations in the Globe and Mail article warrant immediate investigation, and if substantiated are truly shocking. Albertans deserve answers to any suggestion that there may have been political interference in the procurement processes that have been responsible for turning over millions of our public health care dollars to for-profit businesses,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “The Auditor General’s investigation must be made a priority and be allowed to continue unimpeded by anyone in the government, with full access to any required records. All information uncovered should be turned over to the RCMP for further investigation. Anything less is unacceptable.”
Since the Alberta Surgical Initiative was first announced, Friends of Medicare has been raising concerns about the lack of transparency given that the private surgical contracts are not shared with the public. The Globe and Mail article concluded with these further concerning allegations about the surgical procurement process:
“Ms. Mentzelopoulos also alleges that Mr. Smith, the premier’s former chief of staff, appeared to make calls on behalf of private surgical organizations. The efforts by government officials to increase prices being paid to private suppliers ran contrary to her extensive experience in government negotiations,” Ms. Mentzelopoulos’s letter alleges. Ms. Mentzelopoulos alleges that Alberta Surgical Group received better rates than comparable private companies and that AHS was potentially paying for services it was not using.
“Report after report after report have shown that the privatization of Alberta’s surgeries to for-profit surgical facilities is costing us more, while failing to deliver on the government’s promises it will increase capacity and reduce wait times,” said Gallaway. “Yet in spite of all evidence, at every turn, the government has stubbornly doubled down on prioritizing more of these lucrative private contracts, rather than investing in bolstering operating rooms in our public hospitals. Albertans deserve to know why. That means full transparency in terms of what the Alberta Surgical Initiative is costing us, how contract decisions are being made, and who's profiting from this approach.”
Since being elected the government has pursued an aggressive privatization agenda, signing contracts with many for-profit health care providers; from surgeries, labs, and addictions care, to food services, laundry, ambulance services and more. Recently, UCP Ministers and MLAs have been vocal in directly endorsing private, for-profit health care proposals in Airdrie, Fort McMurray and elsewhere.
“Albertans are increasingly concerned about accessing the health care they need when and where they need it. Our public health care system is in an urgent situation that requires urgent action to deal with the widespread short-staffing, worker burnout, and closures impacting our entire province,” said Gallaway. “Yet, the UCP government and MLAs seem determined to spend their time and energy pushing for-profit health care projects, rather than addressing the very real health care concerns of Albertans.”
- 30 -
➤ Join our email list to receive news like this in your inbox
➤ Support Friends of Medicare's work