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All laboratory services outside of AHS’ Edmonton Zone are currently delivered publicly.

In AHS’ Calgary Region, public laboratory services were formerly provided by Calgary Laboratory Services. Those workers were later transitioned to the consolidated organization known as Alberta Public Laboratories, which the new government renamed Alberta Precision Laboratories.

Last month, Parker said he worried the name change would set the stage to move more health services to the private sector.

“These are the health care experts in this province, these are the people on the front lines of this province that have dedicated their lives and all you’re doing is turning them into a for-profit for some shareholder and that is unacceptable,” he said Friday.

He said 70 per cent of treatment decisions made by doctors rely on accurate lab results.

David Bloom/Postmedia

“A shift to privatization diminishes the quality of care people receive,” Parker said. “Everyone knows a syringe for drawing blood costs the same in a public system as it does in a private one. The difference is private contracts include an additional budget line — profit.”

In a statement on Friday, Finance Minister Travis Toews said unions were notified of “potential workforce restructuring.”

“Despite spending far more per capita on services than other large provinces, our outcomes are no better and often worse,” he stated.

“We were also clear about the need for an ongoing review of government programs to ensure they are efficient and effective, and that this could result in changes to the public service. This means that some difficult but necessary decisions are required to ensure available funding is directed to the front-line services Albertans need most.

“These could include changes to staffing levels, aligning resources to areas where need is greater, as well as finding alternative ways to deliver services that would keep jobs in the Alberta economy.”

shudes@postmedia.com

Twitter: @SammyHudes