News Editorial: What other information is being withheld?
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on April 16, 2020.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade An unprecedented influx of news, at every level of government, has revealed some stars and some very serious flaws. Alberta has been recognized as a good example of stockpiling of equipment and having that inventory on computer in order to track those supplies. That other provinces and the federal government did not do so is extremely alarming. Who would have thought that Health Canada would have stock piled millions of face masks in a warehouse in Winnipeg and then just forgotten about it until years after the expiry date and then they dumped them. Computers and spreadsheets are not a new invention. It boggles the mind that a federal government department just piled all that expensive inventory without having a spreadsheet to track the expiry dates. As stock was aging it should have been supplied to hospitals and the inventory renewed annually. That this was not done should have us all asking: What else is being mishandled? Dr. Deena Hinshaw has been a good example of someone who has been a calming and experienced voice during the pandemic. Her daily briefings had Albertans’ attention. More recently there is a sense that those briefings have unfortunately morphed into opportunities for politicians to be showcased. The public are searching for answers that health officials currently are not willing to give. These include numbers of COVID patients per hospital or zone and the accuracy of tests for COVID-19. It may seem perfectly reasonable for them to withhold this information but in these uncertain times it simply builds mistrust. Gillian Slade is a News reporter. To comment on this and other editorials, go to https://www.medicinehatnews.com/opinions, email her at gslade@medicinehatnews.com or call her at 403-528-8635. 11-10
