Committee co-chair says fears unfounded
Alberta’s new health-act plan would erase several existing health laws lead to more privatization and shift its responsibility on to individuals warn Parkland Institute researchers.
A health advisory committee report recommends the province streamline its “complex” and “cumbersome” health system by “creating new emerging delivery models” and emphasizes “individual responsibility.”
Through an online survey and provincewide workshops the province is asking for public input in drafting a new health act.
But Diana Gibson Parkland’s research director says the wording of the report and the survey conceals the government’s true agenda — furthering “investor-owned for-profit business in health care.”
“The rhetoric sounds great like ‘patient-centred’ or ‘individual responsibility’” she says. “These things don’t actually sound bad unless you know the agenda behind those terms and what they have been or can be used to accomplish.”
The recent bankruptcies of several for-profit health facilities highlight the failings of privatizing health care says Gibson.
In April Calgary-based Health Resource Centre a privately owned hip-and-knee surgical centre declared bankruptcy. Two assisted-living facilities in Red Deer also recently filed for bankruptcy.
The report also suggests Albertans need to take more responsibility for their own health which Gibson says blames individuals and allows government to ignore “public-policy questions.”
She also worries many of the rules protecting publicly run health care will be scrapped. “Those are part of our current legislation and there is no commitment from the government at all that those will be kept” says Gibson.
Conservative MLA Fred Horne co-chair of the health advisory committee says critics’ fears are “unfounded” pointing out nothing is yet written in stone.
“The fact is that the legislation hasn’t been drafted yet” he says. “Our premier has said on numerous occasions Alberta is committed to operate within the Canada Health Act… and strengthen the publicly funded health-care system.”
For the time being the province is simply “consulting with Albertans about what sort of principles they’d like to see in the Alberta Health Act” he adds.
But critics say the province is hand-selecting who attends the workshops. Albertans must call a toll-free number or apply online to attend one of the sessions. Horne denies the charge saying the government is only trying to ensure that “a good cross-section of people” is selected.
