So Why Can't We Fix Some Of Alberta Health Care's Problems

[Guest Sundancefisher]

 

This guy is unbelievable. Stelmach looses a lot of respect also with this debacle. The video is hilarious.

 

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/201...0/16240151.html

 

The mea culpa from Alberta’s health czar for focusing on eating a cookie instead of answering reporters’ questions Friday isn’t passing the taste test among health care critics.

 

In a blog post Saturday, Alberta Health Services CEO Dr. Stephen Duckett apologized “unreservedly” for his behaviour following a meeting in Edmonton to address shortfalls in the province’s health care system, where he refused comment to several reporters, repeatedly telling them he was too busy eating a cookie to talk as they followed him to an AHS building across the street.

 

“The meeting made great progress,” Duckett wrote on his blog.

 

“That success has to some extent been overshadowed by my poor responses to the media afterwards, which I deeply regret and for which I apologize unreservedly.

 

But the apology was half-baked, said Liberal leader Dr. David Swann, who once again called for Duckett to resign or be fired.

 

“It’s too little, too late,” said Swann.

 

“I think we’ve come to the point where Mr. Duckett has lost the confidence of not only the professionals in the system, but also Albertans.”

 

Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky was more forgiving, saying he accepted the apology.

 

“It appears to be a sincere apology for some very inappropriate comments that clearly he regrets having made,” he said, adding Duckett will likely not face the axe for the outburst.

 

“There’s a number of things we have to look at in this scenario, the first and most important thing to me is we get the improvements I’ve asked by Christmastime.

 

“Let’s go forward to Christmas and see what happens because the emergency room docs are working hard on solutions with us and that’s what the meeting was all about (Friday).”

 

Friends of Medicare executive director David Eggen also felt the apology was sincere but said Duckett should still be replaced.

 

“I’ve said since Zwozdesky took over that he needed to start fresh and Duckett is part of the slash and burn health policy from before,” he said.

 

“If he’s serious about starting fresh then he should replace Duckett.”

 

Wildrose Alliance leader Danielle Smith said the apology merely highlights ongoing systemic failures.

 

“They way he dealt with the media just represented an entirely flippant attitude toward the serious nature of the issues we’re dealing with,” she said.

 

“And his blog doesn’t make it any better because it highlights what the true nature of the problem is, a lack of accountability.”

 

The AHS superboard should be replaced with regional boards, said Smith.

 

“We’ve got a single guy at the head of an agency that is responsible for $13 billion in taxpayer money and he doesn’t feel that he has to be accountable to the media or the public, that’s somebody else’s job,” she said.

 

With bonuses, Duckett earns an annual salary of $744,000.

 

Duckett was not available for comment Saturday nor was Premier Ed Stelmach.

[Taco]

effin' overblown bullshit issue,

 

plus 4 by friday, think i can go fishin??

[Guest Sundancefisher]

effin' overblown bullshit issue,

 

plus 4 by friday, think i can go fishin??

 

most things in the news are over blown. Still it is cold outside. Plus any official that is not smart enough to use common sense...is a real dufus IMHO. Seriously...how smart do you have to be to say "Health care is a very complicated issue. While you can't put a price on a person's health being as it is priceless...we still must manage our system on a tax based funding allocation system. Compounded with fears of private health care looking to make as much money as they can off the sick...you create a very volatile issue. While no government can ever make a perfect system, we review what information is available to make the best common sense decisions we can but maintaining the sanctity of public health care. Now while I must go...before I go I would love to buy all you fine reporters and cameramen cookies...cause jezz louise...these cookies are AWESOME!"

 

[Gaffer]

tl;dr I was to busy eating cookies. nom, nom, nom.

 

What kind of world is this where an elderly man can not walk and EAT HIS GOD DAMNED COOKIE without people hassling him about 'his job.'

 

 

Andrew

[headscan]

Looks like he'll have plenty of time to eat his cookies now and a hefty severance package to buy them.

 

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Ducket...8118/story.html

[DonAndersen]

But why is he being punished for arrogance when after his comment following the H1N1 debacle a year ago he proved that he's stupid.

 

Arrogance ain't a firing offense. Stupidly is.

 

The real question we got to ask ourselves is why he was hired and who hired/fired him and their accountability.

 

 

catch ya'

 

 

Don

[Giovanne]

The real question we got to ask ourselves is why he was hired and who hired/fired him and their accountability.

 

 

http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/203.asp

 

 

[firefrog]

Hey

Does anyone remember what it was like years ago? Before the consolidating and cuts and controversy.............. Well, I do. Some of the the hospitals and health regions were very well run, but they were the exception. When the doctors ran things it was a good ole boys club. There was practically zero accountability. Now we have a doctor at the reins again. They talk about more local control etc. Man, there were just as many problems with that system before. This is gonna get uglier long before it gets better. One step backwards, and two steps back.

 

[Giovanne]

A big part of the problem is the upper crust making policy, setting budgets, etc, etc, would never sit in an emergency for 20 hours or be on a 4 year wait list for a surgery. Same with the politicians in the Province. None of the decision and Policy makers at alberta Health Services, or the Provincial Government are effected by the policy they implement. The two tier system of health care is very alive and well in Alberta. Anyone remember last year during the panic to get the H1N1 vaccine? At the height of women, children, and seniors waiting in long line-ups in the outdoors the Calgary Flames had enough vaccine delivered by Alberta Health services and a nurse to give injections to the team, admin, and their families. This yet is another window that shows us how things function inside Alberta Health Services.

 

The health care budget in this Province grows each year, it consumes around 40% of the annual Provincial budget. More money is not making it better; using wait times as the measurement is just keeps getting worse.

 

There are more administrators than front line workers in the Alberta health care system.