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2009 Oct 29 (Thu)

H1N1 Pandemic Ethics Framework

Kevin encourages the Minister of Health and Wellness to make the Pandemic Ethics Framework public.

 

1603 Alberta Hansard October 28, 2009

Dr. Taft: Well, thanks, Mr. Speaker. It’s the Minister of Health and Wellness’s day today. My questions are to him. The government’s H1N1 pandemic response plan indicates that anywhere from 570 to 2,850 Albertans are going to need intensive care. It also predicts that 130 to 400 Albertans are going to die of H1N1. Given the overloaded intensive care system there will be very difficult ethical decisions. Alberta Health Services has developed a pandemic ethics framework to guide clinical and operational decisions. Is the minister aware of this framework, and can he tell us what it involves?

Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, pandemic planning is extensive to the point where you should have in place the most extreme situation. I will not apologize for our officials having in place a pandemic plan that deals with the most minor of a situation and the most extreme situation. What this member is referring to is the absolute extreme situation. To stand in this House and say that somehow the department is predicting that hundreds of people are going to die from H1N1 is not accurate.

Dr. Taft: Well, actually, Mr. Speaker, I’m quoting directly from his department’s own plan. I didn’t make the numbers up. They’re a direct quote from his department’s documents. To the same minister: given that the pandemic response plan says that this ethics framework can be used to include the public in developing a response to the community challenges created by H1N1, can the minister tell us if the ethics framework will be made public?

Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr. Speaker, I didn’t deny that the numbers were in our plan. All I said in my answer was that it is the most extreme situation. I will take the member’s question under advisement.

Dr. Taft: Well, let me urge the minister to make this framework public. The government’s pandemic response plan says, “By providing transparent, equitably applied criteria, based on fundamental moral principles and values, the Pandemic Ethics Framework will serve to guide the difficult decisions that will . . . be made during Pandemic (H1N1) 2009.” Mr. Minister, doesn’t the public have a right to know?

Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, if the member is reading from the pandemic plan, then why doesn’t he just photocopy it?

 

 

 

Date: Thu Oct 29 20:55:33 MDT 2009 changed by: Rebecca IP: 68.149.137.22