It has not been a propitious time recently for Alberta Health’s privatization project.
First, Health Resources Centre, a privatization partner to do one third of the hip and joint replacement surgeries in Calgary on contract, declared bankruptcy.
This was followed swiftly by the otherwise private enterprise-oriented government intervening in the bankruptcy proceedings. They acted to bail out the company long enough to make sure the hip and joint measures did not stop.
Then, Red Deer’s newest and flossiest major assisted-care condominium complexes declared that they also had gone down the financial chute.
A financial restructuring company placed notices on May 1 in the Red Deer Advocate that numbered companies “formerly Club Sierra Lifestyles at Aspen Ridge and Masterpiece Inglewood Inc.” had gone bankrupt April 20 and would hold hearings in Montreal.
Repeatedly trumpeting the virtues of so-called “free” enterprise, Alberta Health turns to the privateers, often from out of province, to provide commercial health care, arguing that it is more efficient, cheaper, prevents or decreases government debt and so forth.
These claims are demonstrably wrong, but the Alberta Tories don’t seem to care much about facts, only their own ideological commitment to private enterprise. When some of their privatization partners go under, it’s not only an embarrassment. It should be a wake-up call.
It’s not that these particular financial fiascos are odd exceptions.
Private health care, with all its profit, greed and frequent corruption, has failures, just like any other category of business.
The real question is — or should be — why does Alberta Health Services shuck off its public responsibilities to the privateers when the public health and senior care programs we already have work pretty well, especially when they are not undermined by government funding cuts? They are at least consistent, dependable, and offer services the public likes and supports, according to polls.
It’s just plain wrong-headed and irresponsible of the Tories to put health and senior care under the influence of the privateers’ money train. Isn’t there a quote from someone famous that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing time after time and expect that somehow there will be a new result?
When the Tory MLA tour comes to Red Deer this week, maybe they could be reminded of the financial sewering of the care facilities and the hip and joint clinic, that we’re not pleased, and they should do something different this time.
Public health should be public, not a method of feeding our tax money to wobbly and undependable private corporations.
Ken Collier, Board Chair
Friends of Medicare
Red Deer