EDMONTON — Alberta’s provincial health authority has fired the most senior staff member involved in releasing H1N1 vaccine to Calgary Flames players and their family members.
“Like most Albertans, I am deeply offended that this circumstance has occurred,” said a statement signed by Ken Hughes, board chairman of Alberta Health Services, and Stephen Duckett, CEO and president.
“AHS board and management have a fundamental commitment to serve all Albertans according to their needs, in medical priority. This circumstance was a clear departure from that principle. We set the expectation that this should not have happened and should not happen again.”
The name of the senior staff member was not released.
The investigation is continuing to determine exactly how the Flames managed to jump the queue and get their H1N1 vaccinations before Albertans designated priority cases because of their risk of becoming dangerously ill.
Further disciplinary action may still come.
“The special treatment for the Flames and their families is unacceptable to us and contrary to all of our existing protocols and processes,” said Duckett in the statement. “I apologize for this breach of our duty to Albertans.”
Dr. Gerry Predy, senior medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services, said he believes the Flames’ faux pas was the only such incident of queue-jumping in Alberta.
“We’re reasonably certain (the incident was isolated), but nothing is 100 per cent,” Predy said.
Alberta Health Services is the only body in Alberta that receives vaccine doses from the provincial government. The provincial health authority then dispenses it to clinics and hospitals across Alberta.
“It’s a deplorable situation,” said Dr. Andre Corriveau, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health.
On Wednesday, Predy and Corriveau reiterated the province’s new plan to reopen vaccination clinics Thursday for kids between six months and five years old.
Unadjuvanted shots – doses without a specific additive – will be available for pregnant women beginning Friday, but if pregnant mothers arrive at a clinic Thursday and want the regular shot with the additive, it will be made available.
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