After a big election win,
Alberta Tories assigned Ron Liepert to fix the health
portfolio
Photo credit:
Alberta Progressive Conservative Party |
Alberta's Tories went into last
month's election with the threat of potentially losing
their parliamentary majority looming over their heads.
But by the time the last votes were tallied, it had
become clear that no such thing would happen. Premier
Ed Stelmach's Progressive Conservatives not only won
an 11th consecutive mandate and held on to their majority,
they captured nearly half of the opposition parties'
seats as they jumped to a commanding parliamentary lead
with all but 11 of the 83 total seats. Their victory
was tempered, however, by a record low voter turnout
that meant the Tories' 21% share of eligible voters'
support translated to an 87% share of the legislature.
So, the question now on the minds
of physicians and healthcare policy experts in the province
is no longer whether the beleaguered Liberals, who were
given the highest rating on their healthcare platform
by a panel of Alberta Medical Association (AMA) doctors,
might force a Tory minority. Instead, everyone is now
wondering, in the wake of the surprisingly lopsided
election result, where does this leave healthcare?
PROMISES,
PROMISES
The Tories emerged victorious despite the fact their
health platform was rated worse than the Liberals' by
a delegation of physicians from the AMA during the campaign.
Two major infection-control scandals, in Vegreville
and Lloydminster, plagued health minister Dave Hancock's
tenure. In response, Mr Hancock introduced new legislation
last year granting himself the power to take control
of and dictate policy to professional regulatory bodies
(the despised Bill 41), which physicians promptly condemned.
As well, booming Calgary has some of the worst access
problems in the country, and its health region is carrying
a crippling deficit.
As is often the case, the election
hasn't helped physicians out much. The campaign interrupted
contract negotiations between the AMA, the Ministry
of Health and Wellness and the health regions, leaving
Alberta physicians without a contract for the time being
after the previous agreement expired on March 31. "We
don't want the negotiations to go as long as they did
last time [in 2005], which was 18 months" says AMA president
Dr Darryl LaBuick, "so we're motivated to finish things
up more expediently."
The Tory victory, however, is by
no means a defeat for healthcare, insists Dr LaBuick.
"Stelmach's plan is for improving access to healthcare
and health delivery," he says. "That's in line with
our priorities, too." But he says the Tories must act
to fix the biggest problems plaguing Alberta's doctors,
namely access to care for the booming population, skyrocketing
overheads and a stagnant EMR policy.
ADMINISTRATIVE
UPHEAVAL
The biggest change that Alberta's healthcare sector
has seen so far as a result of last month's election
is a new face — that of Ron Liepert. Just over
a week after the election, Mr Liepert, who had been
education minister, was swapped to the health portfolio
and Mr Hancock was moved to education. As was the case
after the province's most famous trade — the $15
million the Edmonton Oilers received when they traded
Wayne Gretzky to the LA Kings in 1988 — what everyone
wants to know is, who won? Will Mr Liepert be a better
health minister than Mr Hancock was, or is healthcare
getting short shrift — again?
Despite Mr Liepert's Obama-like
first pronouncement as health minister — "Change
has to take place" — based on the little that's
been said publicly so far, Mr Liepert is largely toeing
the party line. "The current system is not working and
it's not sustainable," he said. "It's obvious that more
money hasn't produced a better product." He's already
referred to the 2002 Mazankowski report, which recommended
increased competition in the healthcare sector and alternative
revenue models — code words in most circles for
increased privatization.
Dr LaBuick is encouraged by the
suggestions. "That's a sign that he is willing to look
at different avenues possible, to look for different
solutions, new opportunities, new plans. We want to
continue on with those for sure."
"Liepert seems to have solved the
teachers' pension issue as education minister, so he
goes into this with a bit of a reputation now as a problem
solver," says Liberal deputy leader and health critic
Dave Taylor. "But does he understand healthcare? I'm
not sure he does. I'm not going to sit here and say
Ron Liepert is the absolute worst thing to happen to
healthcare in Alberta, nor am I going to say he is the
white knight who's going to save the system from itself."
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