WATCH ABOVE: The NDP released documents Saturday that claim budget cuts have compromised health care in Alberta. But as Eric Szeto reports, health officials say the changes that were made are safe, cost effective measures.

EDMONTON – The Alberta NDP says funding cuts to health care are having a serious impact on patient safety.

Edmonton-Calder NDP candidate David Eggen released a leaked AHS PowerPoint presentation Saturday which outlines changes to the Northern Alberta Renal Program, which provides hemodialysis treatments to patients.

The presentation, which Eggen said was given to him by a concerned AHS employee, outlines changes to the classification of dialysis waste from biomedical waste to regular waste. According to AHS, it costs about $15 to discard dialysis waste such as dialyzers and tubes in approved biomedical waste containers, compared to just a couple dollars in garbage bags.

“We know from workers, the people who leaked this information, this is compromising the level of safety of both patients and workers, and it’s a result of this choice by the PCs to deliver bargain bin medicine. Rather than looking for safety first, they’re looking for cuts first,” Eggen said Saturday.

Dialysis waste is considered general waste as long as there are no sharps attached or dripping blood, the AHS presentation states. A spokesperson with AHS says the procedure complies with CSA standards.

“Items that have come in contact with blood, but do not contain blood, can be disposed of in general waste. Any items containing blood continue to be disposed of in biomedical waste,” Shelly Willsey said in an email to Global News.

Willsey said the disposal of the dialysis system as biomedical waste costs more than four times as much as general waste disposal. She added that AHS continuously looks for ways to reduce spending while maintaining safe environments for patients.

Health Minister Stephen Mandel says Albertans expect the government to save money where possible and the health care system should make every effort to be as efficient as possible.

“If it’s proven to be clear and not any danger then we should do it the most effective and expeditious way,” said Mandel.

“Historically, I think that we’ve followed a process of being very cautious,” he added “We will never ever give direction on something that is not within the mandate of safety and security, nor will we give a mandate that would have any kind of implications to the environment.”

The president of the HSAA, the union that represents 25,000 paramedical technical, paramedical professional and general support employees, is extremely concerned with the system.

“In my experience, blood is considered a bio-hazard and should be disposed as such,” said Elisabeth Ballermann. “I showed this document and this waste to a member that I was with who is a lab technologist and her response was, ‘Oh my God.’ Her immediate concern was for the safety of anybody and everybody who might be handling this thing.”

Ballermann is worried that removing the sharps from the tubes may result in injury for staff members. She’s also concerned about the process of flushing the blood out of the tubes.

“They’re saying red is bad, pink is good,” she said. “Any normal saline that I’ve seen that they would flush the tube with has always been clear. That suggests that there’s still visible blood left in the lines… Viruses and bacteria aren’t usually visible to the naked eye.”

Eggen is calling for a review on the entire practice.

“This bargain bin medicine is the lowest possible safety standard. Front line workers are doing the best they can but they have no choice but to be getting rid of human biomedical waste in ‘robust’ garbage bags,” said Eggen.

With files from Eric Szeto, Global News. 

© Shaw Media, 2015

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No one is more pleased to see the doors of the expanded Regional Nephrology Centre at Renfrew Victoria Hospital open than Ken McQuade.

McQuade was one of several patients who joined dignitaries and hospital officials to cut the ribbon on the new $12 million facility at a special event on Thursday, April 9 that drew a large crowd.

McQuade has been coming to RVH for the past five years for dialysis treatments.

He is thrilled with the new facility and was pleased to be at the official opening.

“This is great, it’s a beautiful spot. You couldn’t ask for better,” said McQuade, a retired auto shop owner who lives in Admaston-Bromley Township.

His dialysis consists of three trips to the centre each week for treatment that lasts four hours and 15 minutes each time. He’s there each morning at 7 a.m. and on dialysis days he goes home, has lunch and is tired out and usually naps. The days after each treatment are the good days when he feels stronger and has more energy to spend time with his family and on hobbies that include woodworking and boating.

“The next day I’m 100 per cent,” said McQuade.

The lifesaving dialysis that he gets so close to home means all the difference when it comes to enjoying his time with his wife Sharon and his children and grandchildren.

His kidney disease diagnosis meant big changes. “It’s quite a life change. Especially in your food and your diet,” he said.

McQuade is impressed with the expansion, which includes big windows and large rooms.

“I love the brightness and the space and the new chairs,” he said.

Plenty of parking right at the entrance of the centre is another feature he appreciates.

RVH is the only small hospital in Ontario that operates a regional dialysis program.

At the grand opening, medical director of the nephrology program Dr. Nicole Delbrouck said RVH was considering a regional program years before the rest of the province began to focus on regionalization.

Completion of the project brought to mind the Burl Ives song The Little Engine that Could, said Delbrouck.

“The Renfrew hospital is the little engine that could in this scenario,” she said.

“The other feature that is very important to emphasize is the will of this particular hospital to be hospitable to the needs of Renfrew county patients and in particular the renal population,” she said.

“The hospital undertook this program because the need was absolutely clear, we have the biggest county in Ontario, people were travelling huge distances,” said Delbrouck. “I did have people in their 80s who were doing this.”

At one time and for some patients, chronic kidney disease was a death sentence for patients unwilling to put their families and themselves through the ordeal of waking up in the middle of the night to drive hours several times each week for needed dialysis.

“Those people who were given the choice often declined,” said Delbrouck, because they couldn’t drive to Ottawa, couldn’t afford the frequent travel and weren’t prepared to bankrupt themselves or family members.

“The last person I knew that made that choice was someone who had been referred to us from the Ottawa program,” she said. The man was on a waiting list for the limited number of local beds that were available at the time. “He died in the process of waiting for a bed to become available. And I swore that would never happen again, that was absolutely unacceptable.”

Three local family doctors trained to be able to facilitate the local program, the only ones in Ontario and possibly the country to do that, she said. “We still enjoy tremendous support from our family physicians,” she said.

And from then on the engine has gathered steam, culminating in Thursday’s opening.

RVH works closely with and officials thanked the Champlain LHIN and Champlain LHIN Regional Renal Steering Committee, the Renal Administrative Leaders Network of Ontario (RALNO) and Ontario Renal Network (ORN) working groups and initiatives, and has links with The Ottawa Hospital Renal Program.

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