The following statement is attributed to Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) Vice-President Leanne Alfaro.
EDMONTON– “This budget does not do enough to address the crisis in health care and retain our health-care professionals. It also puts Albertans’ health at risk with the potential for more failed for-profit health care.”
“Health care is a top concern for Albertans. They know we are in a staffing crisis. Health care is more than physicians, and when you need care it includes the call for help through testing, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. We need to ensure the health-care system is funded across all areas to recruit and retain health-care professionals, and to protect and expand public health care for all Albertans.”
“This budget does not do enough to retain our members and create the working conditions needed to compete for the few health-care professionals available. This government needs to do everything it can to retain the health-care professionals we have and recruit more, showing fiscal restraint and restricting hiring will make the situation worse.”
Health care is Alberta’s biggest budget line, and the recent failure of for-profit labs with DynaLIFE proves health care should be publicly funded and publicly delivered to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients. This budget provides evidence that the government is planning to repeat the failures of for-profit labs by increasing for-profit delivery of health care through the Alberta Surgical Initiative. Putting Albertans’ money to corporate profits when it should be going to retain and recruit health-care professionals.”
“HSAA will work with any government that supports our position that health care must be publicly funded and publicly delivered.”
HSAA is the union of 30,000 health-care professionals dedicated to protecting the public health system and the vulnerable Albertans who rely on it.
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Media Inquiries:
Myles Curry, Director of Communications & Engagement
587-991-9445 | MylesC@hsaa.ca
