For Immediate Release April 17, 2008
Vague health announcement raises concerns
about privatization and a hidden agenda
New Health minister Ron Liepert’s vague announcement about health changes this week raises concerns about health care planning in Alberta, says the United Nurses of Alberta.
“Liepert tries to sound reassuring but Albertans should not be lulled by his lack of specifics,” says UNA President Heather Smith.
What we needed to see from Mr. Liepert is more immediate steps to boost the capacity of our health system. Staff need to be found and beds opened so Albertans can get the care they need.
“Bad government planning, budget cutting and neglect have created major difficulties in our health system. But this government cannot use their own neglect to justify turning more of our system into for-profit businesses.”
She points out that warnings about shortages in the nursing workforce first came out ten years ago.
“We need action now to get more nurses working, not just a ten-year long-term plan. We need immediate action AND we need the long-term planning that the provincial government should have been doing ten years ago.”
The nurses’ union also has concerns about Liepert’s threat to rearrange governance for the province’s Health Regions.
“It would be a good thing to have the province directly and publicly accountable for the delivery of health services,” says Heather Smith.
But she also pointed out that the Health Regions have done a great deal of good work in integrating health services.
“We need some strong evaluation before lurching through another change and again destabilizing our health system with repeated restructuring,” she said.
Liepert’s overriding interest in the Mazankowski Report is concerning. Mazankowski called for shrinking our public health system: de-listing services so families would need more insurance or pay out of their own pockets. The Report also called for more for-profit health businesses to take over.
“The continual statements about publicly-funded health care are NOT reassuring because public funding can go into private, for-profit delivery, and buy a lot less service,” says Heather Smith.
“Mr. Liepert should be forthright about his agenda for health care. This announcement leaves everyone with a nagging concern that he’s hiding what his real plans are,” she says.
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