EDMONTON - Alberta's doctors and nurses say they have questions and concerns about the government's plan to off-load underperforming hospitals to third-party operators. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * EDMONTON - Alberta's doctors and nurses say they have questions and concerns about the government's plan to off-load underperforming hospitals to third-party operators. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? EDMONTON – Alberta’s doctors and nurses say they have questions and concerns about the government’s plan to off-load underperforming hospitals to third-party operators.
Dr. Paul Parks, president of the Alberta Medical Association, said Premier Danielle Smith’s government needs to share its data and show why third-party providers might be better suited to run some facilities than Alberta Health Services. “The profession has very serious concerns about opening the floodgates to any provider out there, without having a really clear plan,” Parks said in an interview Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Smith told a United Conservative Party town hall in Drayton Valley, Alta., that she will look to transfer authority in some cases in an effort to create competition and “fear” among providers. The policy shift would be part of a bigger plan first announced last year by Smith to dismantle Alberta Health Services, or AHS, the provincial authority tasked with delivering front-line care.
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