Public Healthcare Principles
- Fully public hospital ownership and operation
- Universal pharmacare eliminating prescription costs
- Salaried physician compensation for patient-focused care
- Centralized services ensuring equitable access
The NPA's commitment to public healthcare reflects the principle that medical care should be allocated based on need, not ability to pay. Structural reforms to hospital ownership, pharmaceutical coverage, physician compensation, and service delivery create a system serving all Albertans equitably.
Public Hospital System
| Public Model | Advantage |
|---|---|
| Government Ownership | Decisions driven by patient needs, not profit |
| Direct Resource Allocation | Funding flows to care rather than shareholder returns |
| System Integration | Coordinated services across facilities |
| Democratic Accountability | Public oversight through elected government |
Universal Pharmacare
Free prescription medications produce cascading benefits throughout the healthcare system:
- Medication Adherence: Patients take medications as prescribed when cost is not a barrier
- Disease Prevention: Proper medication use prevents condition progression
- Emergency Reduction: Managed chronic conditions reduce acute care utilization
- System Savings: Upstream medication costs prevent downstream emergency expenses
Physician Compensation Reform
Salaried compensation aligns physician incentives with patient-centered care. Doctors receive stable income, clinical autonomy, manageable workloads, and administrative supportāenabling them to focus on patient needs rather than billing optimization.
Centralized Specialist Access
Unified referral systems for cardiology and orthopaedics ensure equitable specialist access:
- Single Queue: Patients receive the first available specialist, reducing wait times
- Geographic Equity: Rural and urban residents access the same referral system
- Public Delivery: Government operation eliminates private fees and profit extraction
Centralized Radiology
Province-wide digital imaging networks enable remote interpretation of diagnostic studies:
- Rapid Diagnosis: Immediate specialist interpretation regardless of imaging location
- Rural Service: Local clinics access specialist radiologists remotely
- Equipment Optimization: Coordinated scheduling maximizes imaging capacity
- Subspecialty Consultation: Complex cases receive expert review through centralized systems