As a one time hospital board member I know how it works!

John Clark
14815 – 123 Ave
Edmonton, AB T5L 2Y7
July 25, 2005
cyberclark@shaw.ca

The Honorable Iris Evans, Minister,
Alberta Health and Wellness.
Phone 780-427-3665
Fax 780-415-0961
Iris Evans

iris.evans@assembly.ab.ca

Re: - Confirmation of total privatization of hospitals and health care.

Dear Minister,

According to your letter it is your clear intent to totally privatize health care in Alberta, probably funding a smaller portion of the cost through Alberta Health care leaving citizens to insure themselves otherwise for coverage.

You will bring this about through budget control. This will result in “shortage of operating rooms”; “shortage of recovery wards”; and the old favorite “shortage of beds”.

Because this plan is deliberate to coerce the public into the private care realm I think legal recourse is available and people should use them, starting right now!

Lawyer Referral Service in Alberta:
http://www.lawsocietyalberta.com/publicservices/lawyerReferralService.cfm

Phone 800-661-1095 or Calgary 403-228-1722. Copies of all documents available upon request. MLA’s addresses phones and fax numbers available from me by request. cyberclark@shaw.ca

You touched on one of my greater concerns, that of Regional Health Authorities selling off the hospitals for pennies per dollar of value. And, noting you are proceeding with this plan regardless of any complaints from the populace is in keeping with your Government’s psyche.

You say “Regional Health Authorities (RHA) is responsible for providing health care and support service in their respective areas.” I take this to mean the ministry and government in general has made every effort to distance them-selves from the responsibility that goes with the position. If it is a bad deal, let the RHA wear the roses; not a Government problem. If the RHA says “it’s fair” that will be the end of it and your justification of trashing the whole public system.

You point out RHAs can sell any of the lands or structures they own. It is interesting the title of such lands and buildings go to the RHA and in no way reflects on Albertan’s investments into the system. All the RHA need is ministerial and cabinet approval. The source of the policy is the minister and cabinet. There is little or no chance at all they will not get the green light to sell or otherwise dispose of hospitals, clinics or whatever on a moments notice! The candor of your letter would have us believe the decision is already made!

As you point out, the sale price must be a “fair value” as determined by the minister and, I assume the cabinet. This is exactly what happened to our electricity and campgrounds when this relative “fair value” was applied. Albertan’s lost billions of dollars to insiders, sharks and traders ending up with the highest utility in Canada!

As you state, any money from such sales is retained by the RHA to do with as they see fit such as contract private doctors to staff their “private” hospitals,” to advance other capital initiatives” of their choice There is no responsibility to the tax payer!

All these billions of dollars on their way out the door; “not in taxpayer hands”! This is precisely what happened with our electricity! Now we have a new company “The Power Corp” which opened its doors with 550 millions of dollars on the books.

From “0” to 550 million in a year! As quoted; definitely not taxpayer’s money and, having no responsibility to taxpayers. Your letter suggests you have formed a “Health Corp” under the name of RHA. We can look forward to the same scam. I remind you that Alberta collects the lowest oil resource royalities in the world. Do you find it necessary to shed the government of health costs to protect the low royalties, no income tax, free land and infrastructure and free roads your government gives the oil companies?

Your web www.health.gov.ab.ca is available to answer questions which are posted on line. They do put forward important and far reaching questions which I will fill out and encourage our readers to do so too.

The questions are important and far reaching for personal applications and assessment offering personal introspect but in the final analysis remain “fluff”. The real financial choices having to do with public or private remain entirely with your government and you have already made these decisions. You are careful not to ask questions that will lead to opinions in that area.


Yours truly,

John Clark

Cc; Welcome to Ralph’s world July 29th post.