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The UCP assault on Alberta Health Services has become a land grab.
And maybe a hospital fire sale by a cash-strapped government.
Flagged in the new budget is a move to transfer ownership of all hospitals, and the land they stand on, to the Alberta Infrastructure department.
You may not have been aware (I certainly wasn’t) that besides being the province’s largest employer, AHS is also owner of almost the whole public component of the health system: land, structures, the works.
AHS owns about 500 standalone buildings, from giant hospitals such as the Foothills, to service buildings and small rural care centres.
With approval from the health minister, AHS is allowed to sell property — and keep the money for itself.
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The intriguing part is that the government, as owner, would also be free to sell the properties to private interests.
They’re already shifting surgeries to private clinic owners and operators at a brisk pace. But many in the UCP, including Smith, have long had wider aims in mind.
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https://calgaryherald.com/news/braid...es-it-possible
Right, so they can either sell them to private companies who then bill us for services, or lease them out to private operators who then sell us healthcare services. Somehow, this is fiscally responsible. Oh, wait, they don't give a #### about that, as long as they can get the government out of everything and turn it over to their buddies.
Special thanks to all the ####tards who's vote has made this possible.