By Chris Brown

New costs for patients and families, she says

Notley: UCP health plans are cruel, irresponsible, stupid

Oct 13, 2020 | 1:44 PM

NDP Leader Rachel Notley is blunt in her assessment of the health-care plan introduced by Tyler Shandro on Tuesday morning.

“These plans are cruel, they are irresponsible and they are stupid,” the Opposition leader said.

She said the plans will hinder Alberta’s economic recovery and will cause harm to patients, harm to communities.

“These job losses will be felt most painfully in rural Alberta. In many rural communities, the hospital is the largest employer,” Notley said. “Destroying those jobs or sending them into the cities or out of the province altogether will be yet another heavy blow to local rural economies that are already reeling under higher property taxes, higher school fees and the doctor exodus triggered by Jason Kenney and Tyler Shandro.

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On Tuesday morning, Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced the UCP’s plan to contract out 9,700 jobs for private-sector delivery. Shandro said that will happen through previously announced “operational best practice” initiatives in areas such as laundry in and lab services and potential outsourcing of housekeeping in 2022 and food services the following year.

He’s also requested the elimination of at least 100 management positions.

Shandro says once fully implemented the changes will save about $600 million per year.

“Jason Kenney believes that the Albertans who are cleaning rooms, washing bedding and preparing food in our hospitals during a pandemic are somehow expendable in order to pay for his $4.7 billion corporate handout.

Shandro said during his announcement that there would be no job losses for nurses or frontline clinical staff during the pandemic.

Notley had another view on the staffing cuts.

“Let’s be clear. These Albertans are front line workers, they are heroes. Ask anyone who’s ever had a loved one in hospital and they will tell you that the person who cleans up the vomit on the floor is frontline worker,” she said. “So let us be very clear. Jason Kenney and Tyler Shandro are firing frontline workers in the middle of a pandemic.”

Notley said contracting out laundry, lab, cleaning and food services will lead to fewer people doing the work and for less pay, rooms cleaned less often and less thoroughly and food from the lowest bidder.

“We’ve seen the failings of for-profit care n private continuing care facilities across this country throughout this pandemic and now Jason Kenney wants to enhance and invite these failures into our hospitals.”

She said there will be cruel new costs to patients and families, including out-of-pocket costs for home care and higher accommodation charges for long term care and supportive living.

She said the plan is about fundamentally destabilizing public health care and creating a path for the premier to introduce American-style health care to Alberta.