“I was asked by our candidate Allen Schulz to reply to your questionnaire on behalf of the Alberta Party.
We are committed to ensuring evidence-based and efficient health care. Your specific proposals are very much in line with this objective. We will not be forming government this time, but if we were to do so in the future, these are very much the kinds of ideas we would consider and prioritize.
We have also proposed the creation of a Wellness Foundation of Alberta which would focus on evidence-based, primary prevention initiatives. Your proposed lung cancer screening program is clearly the kind of initiative that such a foundation could take on.
Your concern with wait times and access to care is shared by a great many Albertans. The Alberta Party is committed to ensuring that patients receive tests, treatments, and procedures that are necessary and add value to their care.
Your concern with breast cancer screening raises the larger issue of how primary care physicians act as gatekeepers for services that are only available through referral. We support Integrated Primary Care in order to ensure improved patient outcomes, better qualify of life, longer life expectancy, improved patient experience, and lower overall costs. You have presented convincing evidence that earlier screening would serve these objectives, and Integrated Primary Care teams could help make it available.
Thank you for asking our opinion and for taking the time to participate in the political process.
Yours sincerely,
John Gee
Chief Financial Officer
Alberta Party”