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Health care

Brian Mason and Alberta's NDP are on the side of patients. The NDP will improve heath care services while keeping costs down.

Liberals and Conservatives accept large campaign donations from private insurance and drug companies - they can't be trusted with Alberta's health care.

We've seen repeated attempts to introduce for-profit health care and every time the people of Alberta say no. For-profit medicine takes money out of services and puts it into dividends for shareholders. Patient care comes first - and always will with the NDP.
- Brian Mason

Liberals and Conservatives are on the side of the for-profit health care insurance and drug companies who donate to their parties.

After massive and irresponsible cuts to health care in the 1990s, the system is struggling to recover. Alberta continues to see higher costs and lower quality service.

  • Alberta is short 1,500 nurses and 1,000 doctors - a number that will grow to 1,500 in the next three years. At the same time many foreign medical personnel have passed qualifying exams to practice in Alberta, but are unable to find a residency space which they need to complete their training. Similar shortages exist with nurses and other medical staff.
  • Delays in starting construction on the Calgary's new south hospital have added $1 billion to the cost and aggravated the shortage of beds.
  • Spending on prescription drugs as a percentage of health care costs has doubled in the past 20 years. But Liberals and Conservatives won't adopt Brian Mason's proposal to save money through bulk buying of prescription drugs.

    • Brian Mason and the NDP are on the side of quality patient care


    Brian Mason and Alberta's NDP led the fight against repeated attempts to introduce for-profit health care. Brian Mason wants to deal with rising costs and shortage of services by focusing on innovation and efficiency within the public health sytem.

    • Control prescription drug costs by establishing an Alberta Pharmaceutical Savings Agency. The agency would constrain costs by bulk buying and substituting less expensive, generic drugs where possible.
    • Fix the shortage of doctors and nurses. Financial barriers for students interested in becoming medical professionals need to be removed. More residencies should be available for international medical students.
    • Shorten wait times in hospitals by setting targets for health regions, and by better funding for long term care moving seniors from hospital beds to more appropriate long term care settings.
    • Create community-based, primary health care clinics to divert patients out of emergency rooms - alleviating the long waits experienced there.
      Enhanced home care services to make the transition from hospital to home quicker and easier and reduce return trips to the hospital.
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    IN QUOTES

    Mason blowing the whistle on the Tories

    Alberta New Democratic Party Leader Brian Mason blew the whistle on the Tories' corporate-friendly gas-price policy and their toothless-tiger regulatory agency.


    Neil Waugh, Edmonton Sun
    October 06, 2005

     
     
    EVENTS