Former Alberta medical deans urge Carney to block dual-practice health model

Four former Alberta medical school deans have asked Prime Minister Mark Carney to intervene against the provinces dual-practice health-care model, arguing it creates a two-tier system that violates the Canada Health Act. Tom Feasby, Jon Meddings and Eldon Smith, formerly of the University of Calgary, and Tom Marrie, formerly of the University of Alberta, sent a letter Tuesday to Carney and Premier Danielle Smith expressing “deep concern. The model, in force since Sept. 1, lets some surgical specialists bill the public system while also charging private patients for procedures such as hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and dermatology. The Canadian Medical Association and its Alberta counterpart have warned that patients who can pay may jump the queue. In an interview cited by The Globe and Mail, Meddings said Alberta’s scarce beds and physicians mean private cases are not “extra” capacity they displace someone who needed the spot. Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel’s office said she is in targeted talks with Alberta Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange to protect access based on need. Alberta’s government insists dual practice does not breach the Canada Health Act, respects provincial jurisdiction, and expands choice without requiring Albertans to pay out of pocket for medically necessary care. Surgeries under the new pathway are expected later this fall after applications close. The dispute puts Carneys silence to a test: moral pressure on Edmonton, or the rarely used option of deducting federal health transfers if Ottawa concludes the Act has been broken. Sources: The Globe and Mail; CTV News Calgary.