Alberta health professionals say leaked tapes confirm worst fear

Mixed emotions from health professionals in Alberta after the CBC reveals details of secret tapes from closed door meetings between the government and Chief Medical Officer of Health.

EDMONTON (660 NEWS) – After the CBC revealed details of secret tapes from a closed-door meeting between the Alberta government and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, health professionals in the province have voiced mixed emotions.

Doctors say the secret tapes validate their worst fear: that politics, not health policy, is at the centre of pandemic decision making.

“The government is not taking the medical advice of the chief medical officer of health, and the pandemic is being managed politically rather than based on public health principles,” said Dr. Noel Gibney, one of the dozens of health care workers to sign an open letter to the premier’s office.

The letter warned the premier that the health care system was at risk of being overrun if immediate action wasn’t taken.

“The government has failed to support people who are actually working towards stopping the pandemic, especially front-line workers, and I think this is vindication for them,” added Gibney.

Hinshaw recently responded to the leaked tapes, saying they were a betrayal of trust.

READ MORE: Hinshaw says leaked information is a betrayal of trust

Gibney says Hinshaw looks to be trying her best in a very difficult situation.

“What I’ve kind of thought for the last while is to kind of view her as a hostage and I think she’s tried to the best of her ability to manage this challenge from the inside rather than let the government have a totally free hand, but it clearly hasn’t worked.”

“There’s some indication that she’s really only staying in this role because there’s a fear that whoever gets put in the role could be worse than her,” added Lorian Hardcastle, an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.

She says the government is working more towards the betterment of the economy than Albertans’ wellbeing.

“Perhaps more importantly to them, because ultimately they care about the health of the public is not the vindication, is perhaps now there will be more public buy into restrictive measures where before there was resistance to things.”

Ubaka Ogbogu, the Chair of the University of Alberta’s Research Ethics Board, says the continued bumbling of the COVID-19 pandemic will risk the fight against the virus.

“The government has failed to support people who are actually working towards stopping the pandemic, especially front-line workers, and I think this is vindication for them.”

However, whatever political battles are being fought, doctors remain focused on the real enemy.

“With COVID, it tends to be all or nothing. If you don’t do the right things, COVID just takes over,” said Gibney.

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