A controversial plan to expand private healthcare in Alberta has experts worried. The proposed legislation, known as Bill 11, aims to introduce a “dual practice” model, allowing doctors to work in both public and private systems. While the government argues this will ease pressure on the public system and reduce wait times, medical professionals and experts are raising concerns.
The Alberta Medical Association, representing doctors in the province, was not consulted on the legislation and is calling for more involvement in the decision-making process. Dr. Brian Wirzba, the group’s president, emphasizes the need for evidence-based reforms and expert input. He warns that most places that have tried similar models have faced challenges, and the details of the plan must be carefully laid out.
“The devil is in the details,” says Dr. Jon Meddings, a retired gastroenterologist. He believes the dual practice system may draw scarce resources, like anesthetists, away from the public system, potentially increasing wait times rather than reducing them. Meddings points out that Alberta already lacks sufficient physicians to run two systems, and the government’s previous attempts to address long wait times have not been successful.
“The problem is still here,” he says. “Why doing more of the same thing, simply changing the payer, will make it any better is a question that needs answering.”
The Alberta government plans to exclude family doctors from the dual practice model initially and has stated that emergency care and cancer treatment will remain publicly funded. However, the lack of specific safeguards in the legislation is a concern for Lorian Hardcastle, a professor at the University of Calgary. She worries that crucial protections for the public system could be easily changed through ministerial orders, which are less rigorous than legislative processes.
“Those fundamental protections should be built into the legislation itself,” Hardcastle emphasizes. “They should be more enduring and durable.”
Meddings also believes that increasing the number of medical school training spots is crucial for the success of the plan. He suggests that government funding or a change in the formula could allow medical schools to train more students, addressing the shortage of physicians.
“If we want private enterprise, why not let medical schools train as many students as are willing to pay for their education?” he asks.
The controversy surrounding Alberta’s experiment with private healthcare raises important questions about the future of the province’s healthcare system. As the plan moves forward, the need for careful consideration, consultation, and expert input becomes increasingly evident.