I am very concerned that the state of health care in our province is deteriorating.
The master pay agreement with the doctors was cancelled by the provincial government. Alberta doctors offered a three-year pay cap to end the dispute, but this was refused.
That resulted in numerous physicians withdrawing or threatening to withdraw services from hospitals in Sundre, Grande Prairie, Pincher Creek and other small communities. There are also some considering leaving the province.
Now, 11,000 positions such as laundry and lab services are to be cancelled; also 500 full-time equivalent nursing positions.
As of the day this letter was written, support workers had staged a strike.
In all cases, statements are made that physician services and the others can be replaced and that the reduction of personnel services won't impact care.
For myself, I am not reassured. How will the large number of people necessary to replace physician services and the others be available?
How will the reduction in staff not affect care? Some of these positions are to be privatized. Frequently in privatization, money is made by reduction of personnel or reduction of services.
We should be offered the facts and figures to back up exactly how and what savings are intended to be achieved and how our health care will not be negatively affected.
This is not the time to make such serious changes to our health care system.
Doctors should be treated as valued, not as money grubbers. Nurses and support workers also make needed and valuable contributions to our health care system.
I feel that it is time that all of these dedicated people are treated with respect. They should be offered more than the easy words that they are heroes in this difficult time.
I would like to see a commitment to improving health care rather than to such major changes and unsupported claims of dollar savings.
Ross Dabrusin,
Mountain View County
