EDMONTON—The UCP government’s new agency will create even more chaos in Alberta’s health care system, says the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE).
Primary Care Alberta will begin operations later this fall, according to a government news release. However, AUPE Vice-President Sandra Azocar says this announcement leaves key questions unanswered and risks further destabilizing the health care system.
“Breaking up primary care will impact staff and patients, especially in rural Alberta,” says Azocar. “There is so much uncertainty. AUPE members in smaller communities are anxious to know whether they will even work at the same facility.
“The tangled spider web of who delivers health care to Albertans is expanding, but each new strand creates far more questions than answers and far more problems than solutions.”
Azocar doubts the announcement will increase access to and quality of primary care. In fact, this announcement creates further uncertainty about the future of public health care in Alberta, a factor driving the recruitment and retention crisis throughout the sector.
“This announcement is in line with a trend the provincial government loves to follow: doing everything except actually fixing the problem,” says Azocar.
“The government’s policies are driving health care workers away from their professions and away from Alberta. Stop the ideological bumbling and focus on improving working conditions and care conditions in our public health care system.”
AUPE is western Canada’s largest union, standing over 95,000 members strong. Approximately 62,000 members work in the health care sector.
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AUPE Vice-President Sandra Azocar is available for interviews.
Please contact Alexander Delorme, AUPE Communications Officer: a.delorme@aupe.org or 780-904-0654