Alberta govt. admits using 2 flawed reports to make $2B in cuts to health care

“Jason Kenney said he would protect health care. He should keep his word.” ― Trudy Thomson, HSAA Vice-President

Edmonton (5 Feb. 2020) ― Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE) has issued a press release after Tyler Shandro, Alberta’s Minister of Health, gave highlights from a review of Alberta Health Services (AHS).

HSAA Vice-President reacts

“I was surprised to hear the current health minister admit the report he released today is full of flawed and incomplete information,” said Trudy Thomson, HSAA Vice-President. “The minister said this report confirms the conclusions in the MacKinnon report. In other words, both reports are just multimillion dollar exercises to allow the government to push UCP talking points.”

False belief that privatization saves money

“Now the minister is giving Alberta Health Services (AHS) 100 days to come up with a plan to find ‘efficiencies’ to make health care ‘sustainable.’ Efficiencies means cuts, which come with the false belief privatization saves money,” said Thomson. “It doesn’t; but the minister has made it clear on several occasions that he prefers private health care. Our health care system is already stretched. These plans support only the rich and leave the rest of us behind. If the minister was truly interested in making it more sustainable, he would invest in health care, not cut and privatize it.”

Health care is not a political pawn

“HSAA/NUPGE is also disappointed to see the United Conservative Party (UCP) is using AHS as a political pawn to implement its agenda,” said Thomson. “It would be refreshing if the current government would take responsibility for the actions it is dictating to AHS, rather than hiding behind the thousands and thousands of professionals who believe the first and only priority in health care is patients.”

“Jason Kenney said he would protect health care. He should keep his word.”