Sarah Hoffman, Alberta’s New Democrat Shadow Minister for Health reacts to the news of increased wait-times for Albertans needing health care
A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows the UCP government has increased wait-times for surgeries, diagnostics, and treatment. Since 2019, more Albertans are waiting longer than ever, even after the UCP government brought in bloated contracts for private surgery centres.
“The UCP government has failed to reduce wait times for Albertans needing diagnosis, treatments and surgeries,” said Alberta’s New Democrat Shadow Minister for Health, Sarah Hoffman. “Instead of investing public money into public health care, the UCP government has been funneling taxpayer money to private providers they know are not getting people the surgeries they need. Privatization is not working.”
CIHI found Albertans are waiting longer for life-saving hip fracture repair surgery, prostate cancer surgery, and radiation therapy and treatment since the UCP government came to power. Wait times for MRIs and CT scans are also unacceptable. Overshadowing all of this is the UCP government’s ongoing attempts to distract Albertans from their CorruptCare scandal.
“The UCP government is known for chaos, cuts, and corruption. It’s cruel. Health care should be there for all of us when we need it. Instead, the UCP is pushing privatization, leading to worse health outcomes,” concluded Hoffman. “We should be using public funds to deliver public health care that shortens wait times and gets Albertans the care they need when and where they need it.”