The Alberta government says a private laboratory service that collects blood and other samples for medical research will expand in the province.
Health Secretary Jason Kopping says DynaLife Medical Labs, which already operates in Edmonton and some northern communities, will upgrade its facilities and open more service centers.
Coping says communities that can expect to see new labs this summer include Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deere, Ocotox, Stratmore and Cochrane.
He says the province is extending its contract with laboratory services because it is cost-effective and there will be no job losses.
Alberta Health Services will continue to provide laboratory services in small rural and remote communities.
Undermining public health, the opposition says
The opposition NDP has criticized the government for continuing to work with private public health companies.
“UCP has canceled the Edmonton superlab in the midst of construction, halting construction of a state-of-the-art testing and research facility here in Alberta,” health critic David Shepard said Thursday.
“Albertans would have had more testing capacity if UCP had focused on strengthening and investing in our public health system. Instead, they continue to undermine it by redirecting public dollars to profitable companies and their shareholders.
In a statement, Friends of Medicare said the UCP government had never provided evidence that awarding service contracts saved money.
“This government is constantly demonstrating that it will always prioritize profits over patients, and today’s non-disclosure was no different,” said CEO Chris Galloway.
The government says nearly 80 million laboratory tests are performed in the province each year.
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