AHS And Smith: The Scandal 

So, let’s break the allegations down. Basically, Athana Mentzelopoulos is suing Alberta Health services because she feels that they wrongly fired her because she was investigating suspicious contracts. Many of these contracts revolve around the Alberta Surgical Group (ASG). She found that ASG rates were higher than their contemporaries’ and she expressed concerns about a new contract. The lawsuit alleges that:

• Mentzelopoulos’s termination was done without proper authority
• She was fired because she authorized an internal investigation into AHS contracts and procurement processes[1]
• She was “repeatedly subject to interference and pressure” to sign off on certain contracts and extensions.[2]
• Marshall Smith’s “handpicked” worker for AHS, Prasad, had a conflict of interest while working with Mentzelopoulos.
• Mentzelopoulos was repeatedly pressured to fire critics of the government. [3]

Same ol’ corruption, different government. I hope not but the allegations aren’t good. I think the big question is where the corruption is. It seems like powerful positions corrupt people – be they government, business, or public health service.

The UCP responded to these allegations in a press conference on February 19^th. Danielle Smith said that they signed many of those contracts to alleviate pressure on the healthcare system. She agreed that Alberta Health oversaw the contracts now but stated that no contracts will be finalized until the investigation is over and all parties have been cleared.

Theoretically, there is a conflict of interest if AHS is in charge of surgical contracts. As stated by Smith, AHS is drafting contracts for their competitors, which would not be allowed in any other company. Admittedly, it would be in AHS’s best interest to give better contracts internally and not externally. However, it is not clear if the government also has a conflict of interest in the matter.

During the press conference, Smith highlighted the nature of the investigation into AGS. In her example, she states that Hip replacements at CIHI cost $10,500. The AHS contract is $8,303. However, Incok’s price point is $6,360. Smith stated that CIHI is an existing facility and that their contract was negotiated before inflation, tariffs, and other problems. This, she says, may be part of the reason for the disparity of numbers.

 

At the time of publishing, the UCP has made their own statement of defence but I have not found it anywhere online. 

 

That still leaves me with many questions including:

Who is ADM Nickerson?

Who has a greater conflict of interest in surgical contracts: AHS or Alberta Health/the government?

What factors determine the cost of surgical contracts?

Could events such as the 2023 Tylenol shortage affect the higher costs they paid for Tylenol in 2024?

And Concerns:

• Is this lawsuit part of a beef between AHS and the UCP? There have already been conflicts over changes made (including the later published Covid report).
• How much will the public know about the inquiry?
• Will the Trump Tariffs take over the news instead of the AHS inquiry?

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[1] Mentzelopoulos Statement of Claim. Found at https://files.catbox.moe/zthdp1.pdf H/T Reddit

[2] IBID, Paragraph 16

[3] IBID, Paragraph 25.