News

Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister Tyler Shandro

MEDIA RELEASE
APRIL 30, 2019
EDMONTON

Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister, Honorable Tyler Shandro

 
Sandra Azocar, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare, issued the following statement today regarding the appointment of Alberta's new Health Minister:
 
Friends of Medicare would like to congratulate our new Minister of Health, Tyler Shandro. We are looking forward to engaging with Minister Shandro as we move forward in ensuring that our public health care is protected and expanded for all Albertans.
 
Minister Shandro, a lawyer by profession, is well known in conservative circles, but brand new to health care. The Ministry of Health is the largest and most complex portfolio in the Alberta government, and Minister Shandro has a big learning curve ahead of him in understanding the intricacies of its governance and structure.
 
Fom Friends of Medicare

Written by
April 30, 2019

  • Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister Tyler Shandro

    MEDIA RELEASE
    APRIL 30, 2019
    EDMONTON

    Friends of Medicare Welcomes New Health Minister, Honorable Tyler Shandro

     
    Sandra Azocar, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare, issued the following statement today regarding the appointment of Alberta's new Health Minister:
     
    Friends of Medicare would like to congratulate our new Minister of Health, Tyler Shandro. We are looking forward to engaging with Minister Shandro as we move forward in ensuring that our public health care is protected and expanded for all Albertans.
     
    Minister Shandro, a lawyer by profession, is well known in conservative circles, but brand new to health care. The Ministry of Health is the largest and most complex portfolio in the Alberta government, and Minister Shandro has a big learning curve ahead of him in understanding the intricacies of its governance and structure.
     
    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    April 30, 2019

  • Albertans will pay for the UCP's fiscally irresponsible political gimmick to quash public laboratory services

    MEDIA RELEASE
    APRIL 23, 2019
    EDMONTON

    Albertans will pay for the UCP's fiscally irresponsible political gimmick to quash public laboratory services 

     
    Through     media reports, Friends of Medicare learned that construction Alberta Health Services’ $590 million lab at the University of Alberta’s south campus has been put on hold until the new government has an opportunity to “review the project.”
     
    Given that Premier-designate Jason Kenney has already indicated that he would reverse the building of a public laboratory, we know that 'review' is simply rhetoric for the ideologically driven privatization of an integral part of our health care system. "Even before the new government is sworn in, we see the first glimpse of what is to come," says Sandra Azocar, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare.
    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    April 23, 2019

  • Friends of Medicare's statement on Premier-elect Jason Kenney's election win

    APRIL 17, 2019
    EDMONTON

    Friends of Medicare’s statement on Premier-elect Jason Kenney’s election win

    Friends of Medicare congratulates Jason Kenney on becoming Alberta’s Premier-elect. We would also like to congratulate and thank all those who took an active role in our democracy by letting their names stand for election. Our province is made better by this exercise.

    As the election dust settles and government gets back to governing, Friends of Medicare wants to remind our government-elect that timely access to quality public health care continues to be of the utmost importance to all Albertans. Albertans know that they are better off with a public health care system that ensures everyone equal treatment without worry about whether they can afford the care they need. Those who seek to dismantle our publicly funded and delivered system face an uphill battle to convince Albertans otherwise.

    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    April 17, 2019

  • Extended seniors coverage is a welcome step towards ultimate goal of achieving a truly universal drug plan

    MEDIA RELEASE
    MARCH 29, 2019

    Reducing pharmaceutical cost barriers for seniors is a welcome step towards ultimate goal of achieving a truly universal drug plan
    Today’s announcement by the NDP about their plan to expand pharmaceutical coverage to all low and middle income seniors is a welcome incremental step in addressing the massive burden that drug costs have on Albertans and their families.
     
    The announcement came with a commitment of $110 million per year, which the NDP estimates will save qualifying seniors an average of $200 annually in out of pocket costs. The plan will cover all seniors with a yearly income of $75,000 or less, impacting 4 out of 5 seniors. Currently all Albertans aged 65 or older have drug coverage through the Coverage for Seniors Benefit, but are required to pay copayments of 30% for each prescription they fill, up to a maximum of $25. As many seniors require multiple medications, these costs can quickly add up, especially impacting the many seniors on a fixed income.
    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    March 29, 2019

  • UCP health policy announcement insupportable

    Today’s health policy announcement from Jason Kenney, leader of the United Conservative Party, made clear that he and his party are not interested in finding public solutions to improve and expand our public health care system. Kenney presented Albertans with the UCP’s “Surgical Wait Time Reduction Plan,” and confirmed that if elected, his party would introduce policy to mirror the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative. He touted their achievements and successes; however, he did not disclose how much money they would need to invest in contracting out and privatizing public surgeries, nor where this money would be coming from.

    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    March 28, 2019

  • NDP wait times announcement a step in the right direction

    Nobody should have to wait for longer than necessary for a surgery that they need, and today's announcement of a $90 million per year strategic investment will address some of the immediate issues that are pressing for Albertans. Rachel Notley promised that if the NDP are re-elected, they are committed to providing funding increases for cancer surgeries, open heart surgeries and cataract surgeries, while all other surgeries would also see an increase over the three years. The announcement also included a promise to increase access to specialists directly from the ER, and to expand emergency psychiatrist access to 24 hours. 
    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    March 26, 2019

  • Good direction for long term care, but beds must be public

    MEDIA RELEASE
    MARCH 21, 2019
    EDMONTON


     

    Advocacy groups: Good direction for long term care, but beds must be public

    Today, Premier Rachel Notley announced that if re-elected, the Alberta New Democratic Party is committed to building an additional 2,000 long term care (LTC) beds. The promised $170 million investment is welcome news to a system that is currently facing serious shortages.

    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    March 21, 2019

  • 8 in 10 Albertans support the right to medical assistance in dying

    MEDIA RELEASE
    MARCH 21, 2019
    EDMONTON

    		 FOMLogoAgain

    New poll released by Dying with Dignity Canada demonstrates that the right to assisted dying is an issue that unites rather than divides Albertans

    8 in 10 Albertans believe that publicly funded hospitals in Alberta should be required to allow medical assistance in dying (MAID) on their premises, finds a new poll commissioned by Dying With Dignity Canada.
     
    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    March 21, 2019

  • The Protection of Health Care Act: A step in the right direction to protect and expand public health

     

    The Protection of Health Care Act: A step in the right direction to protect and expand public health

    With the introduction of Bill 1, the Protection of Health Care Act, Friends of Medicare is optimistic that for the first time in this province we will see the political will to protect our public health care and an end to shirking the rule of law in Canada and Alberta.

    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    March 18, 2019

  • Been there, done that part 2: Albertans want public solutions that will improve our health care

    March 13, 2019
    EDMONTON

    Been there, done that part 2: Albertans want public solutions that will improve our health care

    The plans announced today by UCP leader, Jason Kenney, proposing to privatize laundry services in hospitals, is the second announcement he has made touting the supposed efficiency of the private sector in our public health care. His announcement takes us back to the mid-1990s when, under the Conservative government of Ralph Klein in Alberta, laundry services in Calgary were privatized. As a result, laundry workers went on a wildcat strike and garnered national headlines, but the contract was eventually given to K-Bro Linen.

    Fom Friends of Medicare

    Written by
    March 13, 2019