A prestigious private clinic in Calgary is the target of damning allegations of healthcare queue-jumping.
On Friday, testimony at the AHS queue-jumping inquiry focused on front of the line colon cancer screenings for patients of the Helios clinic.
Dr. Jonathan Love of the Foothills Medical Centre says Dr. Ron Bridges informed him of the Helios clinic's practive of rewarding those who contributed to the U of C.
"It's a private clinic with a physio and diet and comprehensive care and he (Bridges) volunteered that it was also, in some basis, a reward for the philanthropic community of the University of Calgary," says Dr. Love. "I tried not to look surprised but I said 'Oh, interesting'."
"I don't know about you but where I come from, it's not charity if you get a reward."
Brian Mason, the leader of Alberta’s NDP, says it's time to put all private clinics under the microscope.
“They should call individuals that may have knowledge about private clinics or have worked there or have been patients there in order to get to the bottom of it,” says Mason. “In my view these private clinics are the Trojan Horse for two-tiered health care.”
Mason says Albertans deserve to know if private clinics are facilitating better care for people who can pay more.
