AHS inquiry finds queue-jumping occurred, recommends preventative changes
Posted Aug 21, 2013 5:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The inquiry into possible AHS queue-jumping is now complete and Justice John Vertes has made twelve recommendations to ensure they don’t happen again.
Although cases of preferential treatment were confirmed, fortunately Vertes writes, it isn’t a wide-spread problem.
“These incidents may not be representative of the health care system as a whole. However, they demonstrate the opportunities that may exist within the system for improper preferential access,” Vertes says.
“The inquiry found no evidence that improper preferential access in the cases it examined had led to harm to any patient.”
The recommendations include strengthening queue-jumping provisions, expanding whistleblower protections and developing polices on courtesy calls, special accommodations during a pandemic and private patient paths.
Vertes’ Senior Adviser, Eugene Escapella, said implementing the changes shouldn’t be too difficult.
“I think it’s quite clear from the recommendations that these are not recommendations that are impossible to implement,” he said. “Many of them can be implemented probably without significant cost.”
Some of the improper acts included Calgary Flames players and families receiving vaccinations at a private clinic during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009.
Patients of one physician and of one private clinic also received much faster screening at the Colon Cancer Screening Centre than normal in 2008.
However, there was no evidence proving any MLA used influence of other means to enhance his or her own care of that of family of friends.
Lead Counsel Michele Hollins said lessons can be learned from the past, but they didn’t suggest what kinds of repercussions there should be.
“There may be all sorts of repercussions in all sorts of fields, but we can’t, we obviously can’t speak to whether that would or should happen,” Hollins said.
She added however, lessons can be learned.
“The fact that the original allegations were unfounded didn’t abrogate in the commissioner’s view from the opportunity to make recommendations that could present meaningful change,” she said.
Hollins also said the inquiry came in under budget, but couldn’t specify how much money would be returned to the province as a surplus.
For the full Vertes report, CLICK HERE.
