The Alberta government has appointed a former Manitoba judge to lead a third-party probe into allegations of government interference in medical procurements.
Raymond E. Wyant, former chief judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba, will lead an independent review of Alberta government and Alberta Health Services (AHS) procurement practices, said Christopher McPherson, acting deputy minister of Alberta’s executive council, in a March 3 news release.
This comes after former AHS head Athana Mentzelopoulos filed a lawsuit last month alleging she was removed from her position on Jan. 8 because she had launched an internal investigation into AHS contracts and procurement practices.
She also says she was pressured by Alberta government officials to sign new deals for chartered surgical facilities, which are private health-care facilities approved by the province to perform publicly funded surgeries. Her allegations haven’t been tested in court. …