To the Editor:
The Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Ed Stelmach has asked Albertans to "JUST TRUST US," in this entire matter of reforming the Health Act. Generally, trust is earned. What has this government done that merits the trust they seek?
While many of the current members of government are so anxious to tell us that they were not there when the Klein government inflicted a severe wound on the delivery of healthcare in rural Alberta, these same members of the Stelmach government are not prepared to accept the responsibility for the accelerated deterioration of health care delivery in rural hospitals.
Prior to the Klein annihilation of our democratic right to have a voice in the operation of local hospitals by eliminating all local health boards (1994), steps had been taken at both the local and regional levels for cooperation among local health care administrators to bring more and better services to rural Alberta. For instance, the local health board was composed of two members of the Town of St. Paul council and three members of the County of St. Paul council. At the time of its dissolution, the board was responsible not only for matters at the St. Therese Hospital but also the ambulance services and the MD Foundation, which in turn was responsible for the local governance of senior housing and long-term care programs and facilities. Staffing had never been a problem and there was no enormous deficit generated by the operation of the local hospital. Diligent work by the local board was responsible for attracting and maintaining a reasonable doctor population ratio.
What was the reason for the removal of our democratic right to have a direct voice in the operation of our local hospital? What kind of thinking was able to promote and grow the idea that the farther away decision making is from the source of program delivery, the better the quality of the decision making?
The government tells us they are committed to consultation and communication when it is a series of reorganizations they have orchestrated which have caused the expansion of an expensive bureaucracy that has built greater barriers between the government and the citizens. This has not only isolated us from the decision making processes of our local facility, but also demonstrate the massive inefficiencies that are currently obvious in the management of rural Alberta’s health care programs.
I will list but a few of the disasters that have been permitted by a government that is asking us to trust them:
- waiting for nine months or more for the authority to purchase a piece of equipment (with there being no cost involved to AHS);
- the new “tasty” 21-day menu;
- the on-going saga of the local psych-wing ( the regional program manager is located in Lac La Biche and she has the responsibility of enticing people to work in a community she has very limited knowledge about);
- a three year wait for authority to complete maintenance required as a result of the malfunctioning of a piece of equipment;
- the failure to hire temporary replacements for staff with specialized expertise while these persons take their annual vacations (i.e. physiotherapy);
- the inability to deal with the doctor raiding practices among Alberta communities.
The government that earns my trust is one that is capable of demonstrating that it is capable of governing without generating a culture of fear among the citizens. I am perturbed when I hear my fellow citizens say that if we don’t go along with what the government wants we will suffer unpleasant consequences! I will trust a government that does not propose to implement programs that pit Albertans against each other because of their age, wealth, where they reside or because of their political stripes. I will trust the government who will put the essential needs of all citizens as the primary motivation for programming instead of being bribed by those who seek solely to accumulate great financial wealth. I will trust the government when its actions demonstrate clearly that in matters of health care, it is totally committed to adhering to the principles of the Canada Health Act (Public Administration, Comprehensiveness, Universality, Portability, Accessibility). I will trust a government who produces legislation that demonstrates it understands that we Albertans acknowledge it is our individual responsibility to work towards maintaining a lifestyle that promotes healthy living. I will trust the government that governs in a manner that clearly recognizes the right for all to be treated with dignity all the days of their life.
Paul E. Boisvert
A life-long Albertan
St. Paul, Alberta