The author of a book on health care reform believes the new administrator of Alberta Health Services can do some good, but federal laws still prohibit the most necessary reforms..Susan Martinuk, author of Patients at Risk: Exposing Canada's Health-Care Crisis, told the Western Standard the Alberta government did right by replacing the AHS board with Dr. John Cowell..“People in the health care field in Alberta, they have nothing good to say [to me] about AHS. It's very bureaucratic, and it just siphons money off the system. So just based on that, which is hearsay, I'm glad AHS is going, but whether or not one person can do it — if he's got carte blanche and he's got a good budget, who knows what he could do?”.At the press conference announcing his appointment, Cowell expressed optimism he could reallocate resources to lower wait times. He said Alberta’s $22 billion annual health care budget gives him a lot to work with..“The fundamental changes are so well organized and so thought through that all we really need to do is accelerate it. There’s a lot of facility resource existing in Alberta Health Services… We have a lot of staff” Cowell said..“I think we’ve got a chance here because the supply side is far more robust than the demand side is demanding. The supply side before was always very weak, but now it’s stronger and I think we can lift off of that.”.Cowell was also tasked with implementing long-term reforms. Martinuk, a resident of Port Coquitlam, B.C., has ideas how health care can be improved in her province and others..“First, do what is necessary for patients on the waitlists to get treatment. BC patients are dying from cancer before they even get a chance to see a specialist. That means government should be paying the private sector to do scans and surgeries then reform how payment is made. Payments should reward hospitals for treating patients. Current global budgets encourage hospitals to treat fewer patients” Martinuk said..“Hire more doctors and healthcare workers. Develop a long-term plan for medical schools to graduate sufficient numbers of doctors and specialists and then ensure we can retain them when they're finished their studies. Change laws so people with private insurance can legally access care in settings other than government run.”.Cowell had a previous stint as AHS administrator. His career saw him act as the CEO of the Health Quality Council of Alberta, president and CEO of Alberta’s Workers Compensation Board, and more than 30 years as a clinical professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Community Health Services..The 78-year-old has fresh experience as a patient. In February, Cowell fractured his knee during a bicycle accident. He was taken by ambulance to emergency, and later to surgery. .“I don’t recommend you try it, but it’s one heck of a good way to find out what you’re up against,” he said..“A lot of these problems have known solutions and it’s really the implementation side of it. That’s why I’m … more than cautiously optimistic we’re going to see real results [in] 30 days, 90 days, six months for sure … I think the winning conditions are now in place.”.Despite Cowell’s credentials and experience, Martinuk says his options are limited by federal conditions on its health transfers..“There's provincial changes they can make, but at the core of everything, of course, is going to be the Canada Health Act and how to transfer money. Something needs to change. And that means opening up, and at least considering co-payments [by patients and government] or making it legal to buy health insurance and then use it in other than government-run facilities, which is what we can't do here in BC.”.Martinuk, who's also a fellow for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, wonders what might happen to Cowell’s adjustments after Alberta’s May 31, 2023 provincial election..“I can see that he could make change. But then again, it could very well go back to NDP very shortly after and then who knows what kind of changes they're going to make? It's just a back and forth. They could undo everything that he does.”
The author of a book on health care reform believes the new administrator of Alberta Health Services can do some good, but federal laws still prohibit the most necessary reforms..Susan Martinuk, author of Patients at Risk: Exposing Canada's Health-Care Crisis, told the Western Standard the Alberta government did right by replacing the AHS board with Dr. John Cowell..“People in the health care field in Alberta, they have nothing good to say [to me] about AHS. It's very bureaucratic, and it just siphons money off the system. So just based on that, which is hearsay, I'm glad AHS is going, but whether or not one person can do it — if he's got carte blanche and he's got a good budget, who knows what he could do?”.At the press conference announcing his appointment, Cowell expressed optimism he could reallocate resources to lower wait times. He said Alberta’s $22 billion annual health care budget gives him a lot to work with..“The fundamental changes are so well organized and so thought through that all we really need to do is accelerate it. There’s a lot of facility resource existing in Alberta Health Services… We have a lot of staff” Cowell said..“I think we’ve got a chance here because the supply side is far more robust than the demand side is demanding. The supply side before was always very weak, but now it’s stronger and I think we can lift off of that.”.Cowell was also tasked with implementing long-term reforms. Martinuk, a resident of Port Coquitlam, B.C., has ideas how health care can be improved in her province and others..“First, do what is necessary for patients on the waitlists to get treatment. BC patients are dying from cancer before they even get a chance to see a specialist. That means government should be paying the private sector to do scans and surgeries then reform how payment is made. Payments should reward hospitals for treating patients. Current global budgets encourage hospitals to treat fewer patients” Martinuk said..“Hire more doctors and healthcare workers. Develop a long-term plan for medical schools to graduate sufficient numbers of doctors and specialists and then ensure we can retain them when they're finished their studies. Change laws so people with private insurance can legally access care in settings other than government run.”.Cowell had a previous stint as AHS administrator. His career saw him act as the CEO of the Health Quality Council of Alberta, president and CEO of Alberta’s Workers Compensation Board, and more than 30 years as a clinical professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Community Health Services..The 78-year-old has fresh experience as a patient. In February, Cowell fractured his knee during a bicycle accident. He was taken by ambulance to emergency, and later to surgery. .“I don’t recommend you try it, but it’s one heck of a good way to find out what you’re up against,” he said..“A lot of these problems have known solutions and it’s really the implementation side of it. That’s why I’m … more than cautiously optimistic we’re going to see real results [in] 30 days, 90 days, six months for sure … I think the winning conditions are now in place.”.Despite Cowell’s credentials and experience, Martinuk says his options are limited by federal conditions on its health transfers..“There's provincial changes they can make, but at the core of everything, of course, is going to be the Canada Health Act and how to transfer money. Something needs to change. And that means opening up, and at least considering co-payments [by patients and government] or making it legal to buy health insurance and then use it in other than government-run facilities, which is what we can't do here in BC.”.Martinuk, who's also a fellow for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, wonders what might happen to Cowell’s adjustments after Alberta’s May 31, 2023 provincial election..“I can see that he could make change. But then again, it could very well go back to NDP very shortly after and then who knows what kind of changes they're going to make? It's just a back and forth. They could undo everything that he does.”
