With the release of the much-awaited performance review of Alberta Health Services (AHS), Albertans will have to wait until May 2020 to fully understand the real life consequences that the recommendations will have on Albertans.

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.

Following today's public signing of the "public health guarantee" made by United Conservative Party leader, Jason Kenney, Albertans were left sifting through carefully scripted rhetoric. Friends of Medicare are unconvinced that the announcement was any more than a PR visual, as it lacked both clarity and commitment to finding public solutions to the challenges within our health care system. 

We are following the current attack on public health care ongoing now at the BC Supreme Court

As Dr. Day takes the stand this week, Friends of Medicare will be watching closely, and supporting our friends and allies at the BC Health Coalition as they fight to protect our public health care system.

New National Report Outlines the Huge Cost of the Failed Health Accord

As Health Ministers from across Canada meet in Edmonton this week, Canada's Health Coalitions released a report showing the recent bilateral health schemes pushed through by the Trudeau government have come at a huge cost.  The report "Health Accord Breakdown: Costs and Consequences of the Failed 2016/17 Negotiations" calculates that the failure of the Health Accord will mean a health care funding shortfall of $31 billion for the provinces with no concrete targets to improve public health care for Canadians and no plan to bridge the fiscal gap. Calling the rhetoric around health transformation and target funds for home and mental health care "more PR than substance", the coalitions also tallied the non-monetary costs of the lost Health Accord: the grave problems of under capacity in public hospitals, long-term and community care; long-waits; growing inequities and problems with access to care that will continue without any national plan to address them.

Health Minister Stephen Mandel and Alberta Health Services (AHS) CEO Vickie Kaminski held a press conference today to announce measures that aim to improve access to health care. However, the announcement raised more questions than answers. Mandel announced that they will be 'reallocating' $50 million from existing health care funds to the Peter Lougheed Hospital, South Health Campus, Misericordia Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital, and Grey Nuns Hospital to renovate and expand ER facilities.