Question 1: Cancer Care and Health Care Services
According
to a Leger Marketing poll, healthcare is the number one issue on the minds of
Alberta voters. About one quarter of Albertans believe that healthcare is the
most important issue facing Alberta today and almost four in ten will evaluate
the parties’ position on healthcare when deciding who to vote for (Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal, March 28, 2012).
If elected, how will
your government improve the delivery of cancer care and other healthcare
services in Alberta?
Our party’s position
is that Albertans value our publicly funded healthcare system and we wish to continue to build upon past successes, while addressing issues
proactively. We understand from what Albertans have been saying is that one way
of improving the delivery of services is to have more access to the healthcare
system. This is why we are bringing in a Family Care Clinic model that will
provide better and more comprehensive access to primary healthcare services.
This would include doctors, nurses, dieticians, pharmacists and other health
professionals. Albertans would be able to access any of these services without
necessarily going through a doctor first. Opening hours would be extending from
early morning until late in the evening, which better reflects the reality of
many working Albertans.
Our plan is to
evaluate the performance of the three pilot projects currently operating and to
roll out 140 of the clinics, factoring in the feedback
from the pilot projects. Each clinic will be individually tailored to the needs
of that specific community. We have heard positive feedback from many
communities across the province that would be interested in having such a
facility.
Will your government continue to provide a publicly funded healthcare
system or would it institute a private healthcare system? Please provide the
rationale for your decision.
We fundamentally believe in a publicly funded healthcare system which
provides care for all Albertans. Our party’s position is that we are proud of
our publicly funded healthcare and the approximately 100,000 people who work in
the system. We think most Albertans would agree with that statement. While we
know that there are some issues that we are working to deal with, we must
remember that our public system gets excellent results in many instances.
Recently, a study done by the Canadian Institute of Health Information revealed
that Alberta’s healthcare outcomes were better than the rest of Canada in
several categories: readmission rates were lower, mortality rates were lower
and administration costs were lower. In short, we stand by our system and do
not intend to institute private healthcare.
A PC government does not believe any major restructuring is required at
the moment. Some other political parties have suggested that they would undo
the consolidation of regional healthcare boards. After several years of
implementing those changes, we believe it would be extremely imprudent and
disruptive on the healthcare system to bring in any restructuring.
Cancer is a terrible disease that afflicts Albertans in many ways each
year. Albertans expect their healthcare system to be there for them when they
need it. They expect ongoing access to primary care, adequate testing, accurate
diagnosis, effective cancer treatment and support during recovery. The
Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta continues to endorse building our healthcare
system to provide all of this to Albertans. This is why a PC government has
laid out a solid Capital Plan for the next three years that includes $2.1
billion invested in healthcare facilities that provide these services. Some
examples of projects from the Capital Plan include the Central Alberta Cancer
Centre in Red Deer, the Edmonton Cross Cancer Centre and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre
in Calgary. These facilities have been, and will continue to provide for Albertans
dealing with cancer, in a professional and dignified manner. As well, in Budget
2012, our party has augmented the investment for cancer research and prevention
by $2.5 million, for a total of $25 million.
Question 2: Drug Approval
On average between
2004-2010, Alberta has approved for public reimbursement 17.7% of the 306 new
drugs approved by Health Canada, compared to the cross-country provincial
average for the same period of 23.44% (Access Delayed, Access Denied:
Waiting for New Medicines in Canada, Mark Rovere and Brett J. Skinner,
Studies in Health Policy, April 2012, The Fraser Institute).
If elected, will your
government commit to increasing the number of new cancer and other drugs
approved for public reimbursement so that all Albertans have timely access to
the drugs they need, and if so, how will this be accomplished?
As stated above, our party’s view is that providing the right kind of
cancer treatment in a timely manner is of the utmost importance. This extends
to making sure that Albertans have access to the right pharmaceutical
treatments. When we examine this same report from the Fraser Institute which
you reference, Alberta has done better in the last few years in approving
medication for reimbursement. For two of the last three years, Alberta has met
the provincial average. A PC government will continue to build on this momentum
and work with Alberta Health and Wellness to make sure Albertans are receiving
access to the drugs necessary to combat cancer effectively.
No comments:
Post a Comment