Nurses, doctors call on Alberta government to back down from health-care restructuring

There are growing calls for the Alberta government to put the brakes on its plan to gut Alberta Health Services and restructure health-care delivery in the province.

Front-line workers and unions say they weren't consulted about the plan to hive off health-care provision into four new organizations,and they worry the move will drive health-care workers away and jeopardize patient care.

"I'm very angry," said Heather Smith, president of the United Nurses of Alberta.

She's concerned the overhaul will spark chaos at a time when hospitals are already under intense strain.

"What we have isa crisis in terms of people capacity [and] bed capacity," said Smith.

"We desperately need to retain the resources we have and recruit new resources. There couldn't have been a worse treatment prescribed."

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According to Smith, the unionwas not consulted on the plan and she asked Health Minister Adriana LaGrange to refrain from doing anything to destabilize Alberta Health Servicesat a recent meeting.

"How is this in any way going to reduce the times that people have to wait in emergencies because we don't have the beds? We don't have the beds because we don't have the staff."

'Morally reprehensible'

Restructuring Alberta Health Services (AHS) won't fix what's ailing the province's health system, according to Dr. Jon Meddings, past dean of medicine at the University of Calgary.

"The problem we have is a failing health-care system because of a lack of resources, people, beds,[operating rooms] and primary care. It is not a problem of disorganization of AHS," he said.

"I think it's morally reprehensible to be trying to fix an imaginary problem when we have a real crisis happening right now."

Meddings is calling on the provincial government to rethink its plan.

"Having chaos in Alberta Health Services and our health system in disarray is not going to help retain any physicians," he said,adding new trainees have their pick of provinces to settle in.

"Of all possible times to reorganize a health-care system, this has got to be the worst."

Doctor shortage

Dr. Sam Myhr, a family physician working in Sundre, agrees the restructuring is a mistake and should be halted. She's worried about patients in rural Alberta, where the family doctor shortage is particularly acute.

"People are sicker than we've ever seen them," said Myhr."They're presenting to emergency with Stage 3 and 4 cancers."

It's already difficult to attract physicians to rural Alberta, according to Myhr, who fears the AHS overhaul could spark more uncertainty and drive more physicians away.

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"We do think this is going to harm not onlyrecruitment and retention, but actually for patientsthere's a big risk [they'll] fall through the cracks."

The president of the Alberta Medical Association, Dr. Paul Parks, said change is needed in the health system but he wasn't consulted on this plan, either. He saw it for the first time during a briefing on Monday.

"The devil'sgoing to be in the details," he said Wednesday in an interview on The Homestretch.

"How do they operationalize this? How are they going to implement it?"

Parks said his key focus now is ensuring doctors have a say in the plan moving forward. He wants to ensure the system is rolled out in an integrated fashion so patientscan move seamlessly between the four new organizations overseeing delivery of acute care, primary care, continuing care and mental health and addictions care.

"If we don't get this right, this will make the system infinitely worse," said Parks.

"The last thing we need is a bunch more silos, a bunch more bureaucracy, a bunch more red tape"

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LaGrange is promisingto gather input from thefront linesthroughengagement sessions with health workers, unions and other groups. That process was expected to begin on Thursday.

"We really want to hear from the front-line staff. This is an exercise in really listening to our front-line workers and to every Albertan who wants to take part in the engagement sessions," she said at Wednesday's news conference.

"This will given them an avenue to speak directly to the ministry to myself as the minister of health to influence change."

Meanwhile, Guy Smith, the president ofthe Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), said his members are frustrated, anxious and can't take much more change.

"We have to be heard, we have to be listened to. And what's happened to this point with zero consultation is not a good signpost."