EDMONTON — At a recent UCP townhall in Drayton Valley, Danielle Smith shared her plans to remove Alberta Health Services (AHS) as the operator of some provincial hospitals, suggesting other options to manage the facilities, such as turning facilities over to Covenant Health (Alberta’s Catholic health operator). This follows news that the government is also reviewing a proposal to privatize urgent care services in Airdrie.
“Using Alberta Health Services as a scapegoat for our government’s own failings in health care is an age-old strategy here in Alberta, but Danielle Smith has turned it into a political obsession designed to rally her base against our public health care,” said Chris Gallaway executive director of Friends of Medicare. “The fact our Premier is making such a major announcement about our health care system at a party membership meeting in Drayton Valley, instead of to the public, highlights how her agenda in health care is about politics, not meeting the health needs of Albertans.”
There is no evidence to support the Premier’s claims about Covenant Health’s track record versus AHS. In truth, the short staffing crisis across our frontline health care system is compromising care access in all providers in all communities — as physicians, other health care workers, and health care advocates have been continuously sounding the alarm over. Friends of Medicare has repeatedly called on the government to show leadership on urgent and thorough workforce planning, retention and recruitment.
“This government is utterly neglecting its responsibility to ensure Albertans are getting the care they need. Now, while so many health care professionals are openly contemplating leaving the system, and the province, Premier Smith is choosing this moment to stoke even more instability and uncertainty for workers and patients,” said Gallaway. “They should be acting quickly rebuild the relationship with our health care workers, by listening to them and prioritizing a plan to retain those already working so hard to keep Alberta’s health care system afloat, while recruiting and training those we need going forward.”
Recent polling showed that over three quarters (78%) of Albertans think that the Premier should implement an immediate emergency increase in health care spending targeted towards recruiting and retaining public health care workers, while 71% understand that our health care system is in a state of crisis, underscoring the urgency of action necessary to fix Alberta’s chronic short-staffing crisis.
“Rather than focus on the very real concerns Albertans have about accessing their health care right now, the Premier seems determined to put all of her government’s energy into her political vendetta against AHS,” said Gallaway. “What we are watching roll out is a destructive plan to dismantle our public health care system, while using the ensuing chaos to privatize as much as they can to for-profit interests.
“The public has been offered no information to suggest that any of these reckless changes will improve our health care system, and not simply drive more urgently needed workers out. Albertans should be extremely concerned,” concluded Gallaway.
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