Alberta Auditor General Doug Wylie intends to look at procurement and contracting processes within the Department of Health and Alberta Health Services, related to Chartered Surgical Facilities, medication (ibuprofen or acetaminophen), and COVID-19 Personal Protection Equipment.
In a statement Thursday, Wylie said the examination intends to “the effectiveness of management and control processes—including governance and oversight—ensuring value for Albertans while addressing concerns or allegations related to contracting and potential conflicts of interest.”
He said the report will be made available to all albertans when it is tabled in the legislature.
Earlier in the day, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called for four investigations and for Premier Danielle Smith to answer questions on what he calls unprecedented allegations of high-level corruption into medical purchases and surgery contracts.
Nenshi says the premier, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and Andre Tremblay, the head of the day-to-day running of the health system, must all step down while investigators, including the RCMP, get to the bottom of the scandal.
Nenshi made the remarks following a report by the Globe and Mail citing a letter from a lawyer for Athana Mentzelopoulos, who was fired last month as CEO of Alberta Health Services.
The letter accuses the United Conservative Party government of wide-ranging corruption, including inflating contracts for private surgery providers, conflicts of interest and firing Mentzelopoulos because she tried to investigate.
With files from The Canadian Press.
