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Local: Politics, politics and more politics
Commentary by Jeff Burgar
for South Peace News
Citizens in and around High Prairie might find it strange nobody is asking them what they think of health services.
To be more precise, Alberta Health Services is supposed to be doing a study on the delivery of health services in this province. Until that study is finished, our provincial government says it won’t comment on the future of the High Prairie hospital.
Maybe there is a website someplace that has all the questions. Or perhaps some survey company is phoning around the province, or mailing out questionnaires to see what we are thinking. It just seems odd we haven’t heard much. It also seems odd our own local hospital committees have had meetings cancelled on them.
Maybe someone, someplace, has told the study people everything they need to know. In a couple of weeks, we will all be told our place in the grand scheme of things. Then we can all get back to our knitting, or whatever it is that usually keeps us busy, instead of worrying what the heck is going on.
There was some news last week. High Prairie mayor Rick Dumont and economic development officer Brian Holmberg said they went off to Edmonton the previous week. This was to meet with the new Health and Wellness Minister Gene Zwozdesky. Dumont didn’t bring any news back he could make public, but he was optimistic the hospital will go ahead.
Actually, almost everyone in our region is optimistic. It doesn’t seem to make any sense, Health Services study or no study, to tell people the nearest hospital is going to be as much as two hours away.
But then, it didn’t seem to make sense for Alberta Health Services to tell two doctors hoping to locate in High Prairie they weren’t welcome either. It also doesn’t seem to make sense to send mothers to Peace River or Grande Prairie to have a baby, or cancer patients to Grande Prairie or Edmonton to get regular outpatient treatments. Unless of course, you haven’t a clue how important a hospital and health care is to a community.
The Stelmach government finally came to their senses last week when they announced their new budget. Responding to critics of the big boost in health spending, it is easy to ask right back, "Which hospital waiting line do you want to make longer?’’ Stelmach finally gets it.
Now, with an additional announcement in the budget of billions for new hospital construction, why this money, when the "big study’’ isn’t done yet? It sounds good for High Prairie, but it’s obvious this is really a smackdown of the Wildrose Alliance.
If politics is going to be the big driver of who gets what in health care, and it sure looks that way, more than ever local governments should be pounding on Edmonton doors being heard. Waiting for something to come down the pipe is a recipe for disaster.
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