Premier Smith reveals plans to take some Alberta hospitals away from AHS
Summary
A previous secular hospital in Alberta, under Alberta Health Services (AHS), has been transferred to a private healthcare provider. The premier of Alberta said that the decision to transfer operations was made because AHS has 106 facilities, which makes it difficult for them to run everything. The hospital operates under Covenant Health, which has a reputation for never shutting down rural hospitals. Friends of Medicare, a healthcare advocacy group, finds the premier’s comments controversial because there is no evidence to support Covenant Health’s superior track record.
Relevance
Although there is ongoing debate regarding the validity of the Alberta premier's comments about both healthcare groups, the premier expresses high regard for the Catholic healthcare provider Covenant Health. Covenant Health maintains that, as a faith-based organization, it has the right to operate in accordance with its religious beliefs. However, this may result in differences in service delivery for patients, as Covenant Health does not receive funding to provide MAiD, requiring patients to seek this service elsewhere.