Subscribe to our Newsletter

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Laurie in Question Period

Infection Prevention and Control in Hospitals

Questions asked in the 26th Legislature of Alberta, 3rd Session by Ms. Laurie Blakeman, Alberta Liberal MLA for Edmonton-Centre, Shadow Cabinet Minister for Health and Wellness

Alberta Hansard November 28, 2007

Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have learned that former patients of Vegreville’s St. Joseph’s hospital have tested positive for hepatitis B and C. There are still some outstanding questions that need to be answered to assure Albertans in this community that their health is not at risk. To the minister of health: how is the minister going to determine if these hepatitis cases were linked to poor sterilization at St. Joe’s?

The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Health and Wellness.

Mr. Hancock: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. That may not be something that can actually be determined. But what I would want hon. members to know and the public to know is that if you test any population within the province, any group of people within the province, you will find a certain incidence of hepatitis C and AIDS. What we’ve found in the testing that’s happened with respect to East Central and particularly in Vegreville is that the incidence that has been discovered in the testing is no greater than one would expect in the normal population. So the conclusion that one might draw is that there hasn’t been a linkage to that particular incident.

Ms Blakeman: You still need to identify the other risks.

Again to the same minister. Since day one the Alberta Liberals have been encouraging this government to put monitoring and enforcement mechanisms in place for infection control. You have plans but no action. When will the minister re-establish monitoring and enforcement responsibilities within the ministry?

Mr. Hancock: Well, we have plenty of action, Mr. Speaker. First of all, the Health Quality Council report, the infection prevention control report that we did relative to a review of standards for professions. We’ve brought forward Bill 41 and Bill 48, which deal with both the professions and with the health authorities and voluntary organizations, to put in place the structures. Within the department we’re preparing a provincial standard with respect to infection prevention and control, and part and parcel of that will be an auditing and enforcement mechanism.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In June the minister said, “It would be unnecessary and premature to assess the risk of lawsuits.” Now that people are testing positive for hepatitis B and C, will the minister now begin to determine the scale of this government’ s liability?

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, this minister and this government are focused on people, on making sure that they get the services they need when they need it, the quality of care they need when they need it, that there is an infection prevention control standard, that there is an assurance for the people of Alberta that standards are in place and that they’re being followed. If there are legal implications of anything that happens in the province, those will happen, and we will deal with them as and when they happen, and we’ll prepare for them where appropriate and where necessary. But our focus is not on our potential liability; our focus is on service to Albertans.