After significant public pressure, Alberta Health and Wellness has made public the invitation only, closed door consultations on the new Alberta Health Act. Dr. Barbara Lacy, Chair of the Lethbridge Advisory Council on Health, was quoted in the Lethbridge Herald on Tuesday as saying the meetings were meant to be invitation only events, but after a recent meeting with the province’s health bosses the process has been opened up. “They’ve said they won’t turn away anyone who comes”, says Dr. Lacy. This has been confirmed by Friends of Medicare, who contacted Alberta Health and Wellness on the issue.
The following quote from the Lethbridge Herald provides context: “Sessions were originally announced as by invitation events, Lacey says, with advisory councils asked to suggest names of those who’d be interested. But they were opened to the public after Friends of Medicare suggested the government wanted to hear only from those who supported its changes to Alberta’s health care system.”
Dr. Lacy concedes Alberta Health has not done much to advertise this fact, or much about the meetings themselves. Friends of Medicare has been very critical of the closed door, invitation format of these meetings, and has been holding fully public consultations around the province to discuss changes to the laws governing health care in this province. “It’s a bit late to suddenly say the health consultation meetings are open to the public”, says David Eggen, executive director of Friends of Medicare, “I hope they advertise that the doors are now open and no one will be turned away.”
Now that the meetings are open to the public, Friends of Medicare is encouraging all Albertans who have concerns about the health care system to attend the meetings in their area. Albertans can book ahead by calling 1-888-436-0986 or emailing yourhealthact@buksa.com, although now the meetings are open to the public, no one will be turned away.
Many Albertans are concerned that legislative changes will open the door to more private health care in the province. Current provincial law protects Albertans from such private health care practices as extra billing, private insurance and American style twotier private medicine. Existing Alberta law also sets standards for areas such as hospitals and nursing home care.
