Red Deer Emergency Room wait time of 18 hours is the latest of many crises facing our health care system

Tomorrow the UCP will elect a new leader, and thus a new Premier for Alberta. This is happening at a time when our public health care system is facing a series of overlapping crises, and doctors, health care workers and Albertans have been increasingly vocal on the urgent need for immediate action.

The first official UCP leadership debate is this evening in Medicine Hat, topics include Leadership and Unity, Health care, and the Economy and the Environment.

Under Jason Kenney, the UCP government’s record has been one of anti-evidence and ideological decision-making, with short-sighted decisions that fail to consider the downstream health costs or impacts on the health care system. They have consistently prioritized an agenda of privatization ahead of improving patient care, whether it’s surgeries, community labs, EMS, ophthalmology, seniors care, home care, or schemes to send surgeons and their patients out of province. 

Whether it’s drug poisonings, heat waves, EMS Red Alerts or COVID-19 – the UCP government have consistently obstructed the collecting and sharing of good data in decision making

EDMONTON — The recent article by independent investigative journalist Charles Rusnell, “The Opioid Toll, by Neighbourhood, that Alberta Tried to Hide,” paints a damning picture of how the UCP government operates. The article shows that rather than formulate their response to the ongoing drug poisoning crisis with good evidence, the provincial government hid important information from the public that contradicted its ideological approach. The government has since refused calls from harm reduction groups to release recovery and treatment program data. 

Earlier today, the NDP Opposition released FOIP documents showing that the UCP government is working on a plan to send Alberta patients and surgeons to private surgical centres in British Columbia. 

May 27, 2022
EDMONTON

Western Premiers’ call for more health funding must be targeted towards stronger public health care

Statement in response to today's Western Premiers’ Conference in Regina:

Today, the western Premiers met in Regina to further their demand for a 13% increase to federal health transfers. Friends of Medicare continues to call for strings to be attached to any new federal health funding.

Last night, Jason Kenney announced his decision to resign as UCP Leader after receiving 51.4% in his leadership review. Details of a process to replace him have yet to be announced.

This change in leadership is happening at a time when Albertans are struggling with a health care system in chaos; surgeries are again being cancelled due to short staffing, families are having to line up outside of Emergency Rooms to get in, EMS red alerts are becoming increasingly common, and tens of thousands of folks are struggling to find a family doctor.

Friends of Medicare deeply concerned that Dr. Yiu’s removal precedes the acceleration of the government’s privatization agenda

This morning, Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced the removal of Dr. Verna Yiu from her role as president and CEO. CTV News has since confirmed she was fired. There was a year left in Dr. Yiu’s contract, and the board did not offer any reason for her removal. 

Once again, the government is pushing privatization instead of investing in strengthening our public health care when we need it most

Further privatization in health care was the predictable theme of today’s provincial budget. A keystone item was the government following through on their stated plan to greatly expand private surgical services in Alberta, by accelerating the Alberta Surgical Initiative.

“The government’s budget was more of the same. It presents very little in terms of new plans for our health care, instead defaulting to the same old tired strategy of cuts and privatization. It was their plan all along, it was merely delayed as a result of the pandemic,’ said Chris Gallaway Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. “The UCP government’s unprecedented pursuit of privatization throughout this health care budget represents the abandonment of Albertans and our health care system when we need it most.”

The UCP government’s agenda continues to prioritize privatization over Albertans’ health care needs

EDMONTON -- This afternoon the Alberta government tabled their Speech from the Throne. It promised disappointingly little in terms of protecting and improving Alberta’s public health care, and provided no indication as to how the government plans to repair the damage that their approach to COVID-19 has wreaked on our health care system. 

This Op Ed by FOM's Executive Director, Chris Gallaway, originally appeared in the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald on February 15, 2022.