I read with interest the article in the Red Deer Advocate captioned, Why keep us in the dark? dated June 26. The article that the Advocate refers to can be found on the internet at The Fraser Institute — Report Cards — Hospital Performance.

After reading both articles, I realized that if Alberta Health Services is not willing to identify those hospitals where problems exist, it is time for individuals who have experienced problems to speak up.

I am one of those unfortunate patients who, after having hip surgery on February 24, at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, was faced with a hospital-acquired infection.

One only has to spend time in waiting rooms in either the laboratory or the outpatient department to overhear other patients speaking about their hospital experience. On one visit to outpatients while waiting for my appointment with the surgeon, I overheard four other patients speaking about their hospital-acquired surgical infections.

When you factor in the additional costs involved for Alberta Health Services due to problems such as these, it is little wonder that health care costs are skyrocketing.

I worked in the health-care field for 33 years, six months of which was for Contract Services.

It is my intention to write to Health Minister Ron Liepert to point out some of my concerns and observations during my stay in the hospital. I am sure if some effort were made to improve the present system rather than reinventing the wheel, money could be saved and a great deal of suffering be eliminated.

Eileen Dubois

Red Deer