EDMONTON — An Alberta panel investigating doctors being bullied by their bosses for speaking out on poor patient care says the intimidation exits, but a full-scale inquiry is not needed.
Instead, the Alberta Health Quality Council is urging the province to take the money that would have gone to the inquiry and use it to reform the system to rid it of bullying.
Premier Alison Redford has promised to call an independent inquiry based on the recommendations of the council.
The council was directed by the province 10 months ago to investigate allegations that doctors were being bullied, that patients were needlessly dying awaiting emergency care, and that 250 patients had died awaiting lung cancer surgery.
The final report found that long emergency wait times were a significant problem, but had not led to deaths.
It also found no evidence to back up the claims made by opposition Liberal Leader Raj Sherman, who is also a doctor, that 250 patients had died awaiting surgery.