An independent review has revealed that Alberta’s provincial health agency has been treating its own policies like polite suggestions, especially when it came to two major deals. One involved importing pain medication from Turkey, apparently because “it was cheaper and came with a free kebab,” and another for launching a private surgical clinic in Edmonton that seems to have been approved over a lunch napkin.
Premier Danielle Smith’s government, which ordered the review, expressed “surprise” that the agency ignored its own rules, though observers noted that “surprise” has lately become Alberta’s chief export. The report found no evidence of criminal intent, just a remarkable enthusiasm for improvisation in public healthcare procurement.
Officials insist lessons have been learned and new “guidelines for following guidelines” are being drafted. Meanwhile, patients can rest easy knowing that Alberta’s health system remains proudly experimental, if not exactly procedural.
