Summer is the season for politicians to get
out into their constituencies and hear what’s on people’s minds. And healthcare
has been coming up a lot in my conversations in Calgary-Currie.
People talk about not having a family
doctor, long wait times in the emergency department, and a cumbersome and
confusing system to navigate. They talk about staff who are stressed out,
overworked, and frustrated by the never-ending reorganization.
I also hear from people who are
disappointed at the waste. Where there was once one ministry, there are now
four. Tens of millions of dollars spent, only to cancel a project, like with
the Emergency Health Services rebrand. And we still don’t know precisely how
much has been spent on private consultants to do all this restructuring.
Meanwhile, Alberta is officially a two-tier
system with its dual-practice model whereby physicians can have a foot in both
public and private service delivery. To shorten wait times, we should resolve
the reason for vacant operating rooms and work on workforce retention.
Facilitating private practice does neither of these.
We should always strive for a health care
system that is coordinated and patient centred. Public healthcare is a core
Canadian promise, and governments have a duty to protect it.
That’s why the Alberta NDP Caucus is proud
of our vision for healthcare, the development of which was led by Dr. Luanne
Metz, who was a neurologist and researcher before being elected as MLA for
Calgary-Varsity in 2023. We’ll have more to say in the coming weeks on our
plans for healthcare that will ensure every Albertan can access timely,
high-quality care.
The Alberta NDP Caucus will always defend a
fair and equitable, publicly funded healthcare system that works for all
Albertans.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my
office at [email protected] any time with your ideas, issues, or
concerns.
MLA – Calgary Currie Janet Eremenko proudly serves the following Communities: Bankview, Currie Barracks, Glenbrook, Glendale, Killarney-Glengarry, Richmond-Knob Hill, Rosscarrock, Rutland Park, Scarboro, Scarboro/Sunalta West, Shaganappi, Spruce Cliff, Sunalta, Westgate
