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Health care is a right, not a commodity

Dear Editor:

It has been my view for many years now that public health care is the most efficient and cost effective method of delivering health care. Most cost-effective because there is no need to factor profits into the cost. I take this position because I view health care as a right, rather than a commodity to be traded for profit.

I fail to understand why the Alberta government chose to allow Alberta Health Services to encourage the establishment of a private for-profit health facility in Calgary, Health Resource Centre (HRC), which ultimately led to the Alberta Health Services fiasco reported in the media. Media reports indicate that a settlement with HRC has been reached out of court.

Alberta taxpayers should be asking what the cost of this settlement was? Will this settlement be treated as part of the cost of health care in Alberta? Whose decision was it to settle out of court, and what was the basis for the decision?

Yours truly,

William Dascavich

Edmonton, Alberta