Why Danielle Smith’s Massive Health Reorganization Should Sc

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Why Danielle Smith’s Massive Health Reorganization Should Scare You

[ https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2024/02/29/D ... ign=010324 ]

I’m a doctor. And I’m afraid for Alberta’s health care.

Stan Houston - February 29, 2024 - The Tyee

Stan Houston is a semi-retired physician who has worked internationally, in primary care and practised for 31 years as a specialist in Edmonton. He also established and taught a graduate course in the University of Alberta School of Public Health.

EXCERPT: "Just over 15 years after the creation of Alberta Health Services, which centralized health authority at the provincial level, Premier Danielle Smith is promising to shake things up in a whole new way.

There is a near universal consensus that the health-care system is not working well. Its problems reflect developments and deficiencies from before COVID, but greatly aggravated by the pandemic.

And while these issues are by no means limited to Alberta, they do present some distinctive Alberta characteristics.

As patients wait for hours in emergency rooms or struggle to find a family doctor, they may cling to the hope that Smith’s big changes will fix things.

Unfortunately, there is no chance the proposed restructuring will resolve the health-care system’s problems. In fact, the key question is just how much worse they will get. Given the predictable negative outcomes of her proposed plan, Albertans may wonder why Smith has chosen this path. . . . . "

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[ https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2024/02/29/D ... ign=010324 ]