Alberta - Provincial Report Card Rating -  

 D+ (an overall mark of 57)

Note: The information contained herein (by province and Canada as a whole), has been extracted from the Canadian Lung Association's, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD):  a "National Report Card, 2005." 

Public Awareness & Attitudes:

• Provincial Awareness - 46%
• Unsympathetic towards smokers -44% (i.e. they get what they deserve)
• 95% believe COPDer's should have access to the best medications

Physician Awareness, Attitudes, Familiarity with CTS (Canadian Thoracic Society) Treatment Guidelines

• 74% feel Comfortable managing COPD
• 69% say they're very knowledgeable about the disease symptoms
• 8% acknowledged  discrimination towards smokers with respect to quality of care
• 29% of the patients say their quality of health care was less because they were, or had been, smokers
• 91% of the Dr's were familiar with CTS guidelines

Access to and Use of Spirometry

• 83% of the physicians acknowledged access to spirometry testing
• 35% of the physicians have used spirometry to diagnose COPD
• 26% of physicians are comfortable interpreting the results.

Physician Prescribing Habits & Access to COPD Medications

• 39% of physicians reported they follow the CTS guidelines most of the time
• 9% follow them all of the time
• 65% of Dr's (2 out of 3) are unable to prescribe the best medications due to current reimbursement restrictions

            WHY?   Have you ever asked your MP or provincial Health Minister?

Taken from Health Canada's Web Site....."The federal government provides funding through cash and tax transfers to the provinces and territories to help pay for health care services, but the actual delivery of services is a provincial/territorial responsibility. "

Your provincial Health Minister is:  The Honorable Ron Liepert  (PC) MLA-Calgary West
#204 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-3665 
Fax: (780) 415-0961     

e mail at the Constituency office calgary.west@assembly.ab.ca
 

As posted on the Legislative Assembly's website "If your call to your MLA is long distance, please dial 310-0000 then the area code and the phone number you would like to reach in order to receive toll free access."

To find out who your MP is with complete contact info, all you need to do at this site is enter your postal code.

http://tinyurl.com/3dg9g3

 Note:  Click here to view the Lung Association's FULL report card