DynaLife chosen to deliver community lab services across Alberta

Alberta Health Services and Alberta Precision Laboratories recently reached an agreement on a new and expanded contract with DynaLife, which already provides lab services in the Edmonton area and much of northern and central Alberta.

“Contracting routine community lab work to DynaLife will enhance service for Albertans and generate cost savings that can be used to support other priorities and services across the health care system,” said Health Minister Jason Copping in a news release.

Around 65 per cent of provincial lab work — or 50 million tests per year — is generated from the community. AHS said the contract will also see the private company operating patient service centres and mobile collection facilities in urban centres and large rural communities.

In addition, DynaLife will take care of non-urgent hospital lab work. However, small or remote sites handling less than 25,000 community blood test collections per year will continue to be provided by Alberta Precision Laboratories.

DynaLife was selected through a competitive bid process. AHS said no job losses are expected as a result of the transition. The company has agreed to assume all unionized, non-unionized and medical-scientific staff under the existing collective agreements and provide the same, or similar, terms and conditions of employment.

Local groups upset at agreement

Friends of Medicare is one advocacy group slamming the new deal, calling it “just one of a series of moves to privatize our public healthcare system.”

The group said years of health cuts and refusal to make infrastructure and equipment upgrades have left the province with a crumbling lab system.

“They’ve neglected our medical labs to the point of disrepair, and now they’re offering privatization as the only solution, with absolutely no evidence that this stands to benefit the people of this province,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare.

“Rather than investing in our public system in the interest of all Albertans, the government has opted to shrink their responsibility to provide quality health services, instead leaving it in the hands of a private, for-profit company.”

The group noted laundry services, surgical services, the continuing care system, EMS services and others as examples of health services that have already seen greater privatization under the UCP government.

Public Interest Alberta called the contract with DynaLife a “clear sign of the UCP government’s ideological privatization agenda.”

“Public Interest Alberta will always oppose the introduction of profit into public services,” said executive director Bradley Lafortune. “The UCP have shown time after time that even during a pandemic they are willing to put critical services at risk.”

The Alberta NDP has also expressed its disagreement, calling the move “a short-sighted decision that risks higher costs and longer wait times for Albertans over the long term.”

On Monday at 10:30 a.m., the Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta will hold a virtual media conference to share new research on the UCP government’s privatization of medical lab services.

Rebecca Graff-McRae, the report author, and Mike Parker, president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, will take part.