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Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇺🇦 Profile picture
@ZiadFazel
Apr 15, 2022 • 13 tweets • 12 min read • Read on X
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On Wednesday, Health Min Copping "addressed the speculation" about funding cuts to Rapid Test distribution. He said compensation was "changed" from $5/test to $60/case.

Suspicious of the change in units, I looked into it.

Compensation has been cut from $5/test to $0.093/test.
If you're going to lead off weekly #COVID19AB theatre to say "rumours are not correct", then your clarification had better not be deceptive.

This would be the Labour Min saying Alberta's minimum wage has been "changed" from $15/hr to $500/month.

This compensation cut to pharmacists was announced in a PDF dated 3 March 2022, effective 7 March.

Goodbye $5/test dispensing fee.

Hello flat $60/case (for eg. 650 BTNX) the pharmacist has to apply for, to cover shipping directly billed by distributor.

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/pharmacy-…
Dispensing fees are max $12.15 until 31 March 2022 (watch for that to get cut) so $5/test *might* have been OK given there's no pill bottle to provide, label or receipt to print.

But the pharmacist still has to give you advice on how to use the test.

alberta.ca/pharmacy-servi…
Here's the Product Insert for BTNX COV-19C25 Rapid Antigen Test - the most prevalent in Alberta.

Piece of cake, eh?

btnx.com/files/COV-19C2…

This is why people rely on their pharmacists to explain how to use the test.

What dispensing fees are for.

rxa.ca/for-the-public…
I showed BTNX because it is most prevalent in Alberta.

36m of the 55m rapid tests shipped free by the feds.

canada.ca/en/public-heal…

• BTNX 650/case = 9.3 cents each
• Panbio 800/case = 7.5 cents each
• BD Veritor 2880/*pallet* = 2.1 cents each?

ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontarioh…
Min Copping claims AB Health "eliminated almost all administrative work for pharmacists who are providing.."

In reality they eliminated the way for pharmacists to bill for their advice on how to use the test.

They won't even let the distributor bill the province for shipping.
One would expect a conservative gov to know when you stop paying private sector to do something, they likely stop.

Rapid tests are key to Alberta "learning to live with Covid-19".

Looks like AB Health is cutting off pharmacies to push business to high-$$ mail-order cronies.
Wish I'd seen @Adam_Toy spotless reporting before my 🧵

Turns out AB Health cut compensation to pharmacies 93%, to not even 7 cents per Rapid Test, putting pharmacies at a loss for distributing them.

Which of course is discouraging pharmacy orders.

globalnews.ca/news/8755532/r…
@Adam_Toy @Howl_it @GosiaGasperoPhD @jvipondmd @LeylaDAsadi @kasza_leslie @demandsbetter @littlepoteets @TheBreakdownAB @TehseenLadha @sameo416 When Rapid Test distro started in mid-Dec, pharmacies had to do TONS of work for $5 per kit:
• advising people carefully, especially to avoid false negatives
• unpredictable deliveries of tests and vax
• on top of 3rd-dose crush/panic from Omicron

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/Reference…
Looks like AB Health never wanted pharmacies to be compensated fairly for distributing Rapid Tests.

Another choking of publicly-funded supply to drive business to private-sector cronies.

Now, they can't even bill for 2 cases at a time. 1 Case per bill.

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/pharmacy-…
In Jan, Premier & Health Min repeatedly lied the holdup in Rapid Tests (👇 expensive failure to beat free tests from the feds) was due to Health Canada not approving enough.

In reality, they tied AHS hands by forcing it to bid against federal contracts.

Ugh. This gets worse every time I look at it.

The 7 March 2022 "change" shifted the shipping cost from directly billed to the province..

..to now billed to the pharmacy, which the pharmacy then has to claim from Blue Cross, ONE CASE AT A TIME. 😠

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/pharmacy-…

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More from @ZiadFazel

Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Nov 15
More evidence AB Health Min LaGrange never intended ANY vaccination in physician's offices continue past April 2024.

Feb 2024: she "specifically asked" Alberta Pharmacists Association if they could do it, even if beyond their current scope of practice.
@drDavidKeegan @JMeddings Screenshot of Alberta Lobbyist Registry search of "Alberta Pharmacists" showing their 9 Oct 2024 filing. Scroll to the right for the magnifying glass icon to see the report, which I cannot directly link.
Screenshot of top of "Alberta Pharmacists" 9 Oct 2024 Semi-Annual Organization Lobbyist Renewal Filing.
Screenshot from "Last 6 months" section from the filing, which reads: "Program or Policy: Alberta Public Health Vaccine Program We met with Alberta Health Public Health and Compliance Department to discuss community pharmacists participation in the administration of the influenza immunization vaccine and other public health vaccines. We met with Minister LaGrange in February, 2024 and she specifically asked if we could provide a list of potential public health vaccines that pharmacists could administer under their scope of practice but that the currently didn't have access t...
Screenshot from "Next 6 months" section from the filing, which reads: "Program or Policy: Alberta Public Health Vaccine Program We meet with Alberta Health Public Health and Compliance Department to discuss community pharmacists participation in the administration of the influenza immunization vaccine and other public health vaccinations."
@drDavidKeegan @JMeddings @JenLeeCBC @TheBreakdownAB @TehseenLadha @Albertadoctors For the evidence she lobbied them, rather than the other way around, search Alberta Lobbyist Registry for "Alberta Pharmacists" to see their 9 Oct 2024 semi-annual filing.

"Previous 6 Months" + "Next 6 Months"

Kudos @ABPharmacists for the transparency.

albertalobbyistregistry.ca/apex/f?p=171:9…
For background, see @JenLeeCBC excellent reporting, especially this tweet and my 4 replies to it, showing how Min LaGrange gamed Alberta Purchasing Connection to only put out an unprecedented RFEI for this, not an RFP as she falsely claimed.

@shoffmanAB

Read 7 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Nov 11
ICYMI, my request Friday to Minister @AdrianaLaGrange to recoup $49.4m from MHCare Medical/Atabay boondoggle.

Sorry to openly copy AB reporters, but questions at her pressers are so restricted.
@alanna_smithh @Jantafrench @ByMatthewBlack @gthomsonink @MBellefontaine @JenLeeCBC
@AdrianaLaGrange @alanna_smithh @Jantafrench @ByMatthewBlack @gthomsonink @MBellefontaine @JenLeeCBC I wasn't aware that on 10 Aug 2020, then-Education Minister Lagrange had fired a pre-emptive deceptive strike at Alberta's Ethics Commissioner Trussler about the IFR chlorine masks purchased within the previous two (2) weeks from a company in her riding.

rdnewsnow.com/2020/08/10/lag…
@AdrianaLaGrange @alanna_smithh @Jantafrench @ByMatthewBlack @gthomsonink @MBellefontaine @JenLeeCBC Complaint alleged the Minister lied by claiming her political staff were NOT involved.

Justice Trussler cannot address "moral integrity" aka lying.

She concluded the Minister was protected by political staff claiming they interfered behind her back.

ethicscommissioner.ab.ca/media/2809/lag… On August 10, 2020, she wrote to the Ethics Commissioner to pre-empt an investigation, as the information about Mr. Radford, owner of IFR, being a donor and constituent in her riding surfaced. She denied having connections to Mr. Radford. She lied saying IFR was chosen purely on POC’s technical advice. She lied and said she only learned of IFR’s contract on Aug 8, after the press conference. She then tried to mislead the Ethics Commissioner saying none of her political staff were involved. I would like a full investigation conducted regarding this conflict of interest, in contravention o...
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Read 8 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Nov 10
MHCare Medical
Supplies to Alberta Health Services 🧵

For those investigating this, especially HCW representatives like @UnitedNurses @HSAAlberta @gilmcgowan @Albertadoctors...

Health Canada's Medical Device Incident Database confirms some suspicions.

hpr-rps.hres.ca/mdi_results.ph…Screenshot of Health Canada database showing 289 results for "mhcare"
There are, as expected, MANY reports like this of Vanch mask problems.

Some mistakenly filed as PRIMED, but all correctly identifying importer MHCare Medical and/or the Beifa Group Chinese exporter printed on the box.

@John1MD @RajBhardwajMD Example of many Vanch mask reports
Examples of PRIMED masks assumed, but box identifying MHCare Medical or the Beifa Group Chinese exporter on the box.
Examples of no name listed for masks, but Beifa Group and/or MHCare Medical identified
A large number of POWDER FREE NITRILE EXAMINATION GLOVES that MHCARE MEDICAL CORPORATION DBA MRAICHE HOLDING CORPORATION imported from
SHIJIAZHUANG HONGRAY GROUP CO.,LTD.
with typical MHCare Medical problems:
• poor material or build quality
• skin inflammation, rash, etc... Screenshot of 2 of many results listing adverse reactions to the gloves
Screenshot of 3 of many results listing adverse reactions to the gloves
Read 9 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Nov 9
Minister @AdrianaLaGrange, Atabay + MHCare Medical have not delivered $49.4 million of the $70m paid up front for children's meds.

Increasingly unlikely.

Please get that back. We need the money for healthcare. @alanna_smithh @Jantafrench @shoffmanAB
theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta…"The provincial government has said it is working with the Turkish manufacturer to “explore options” to fulfill the remainder of the contract, but has repeatedly declined to provide additional details. However, in the e-mail from Mr. Van Dyne to Ms. Williams, he said they are hoping to fulfill the remainder of the contract – equivalent to $49.4-million – through the purchase of intravenous, or IV, acetaminophen."
You stated that GoA "bought the medicine with the best of intentions."

Only 13,700 of 1.5m bottles received were even distributed. AHS will NOT use them. We have 3-4 yrs of national demand in stock.

With good intentions now, please get the $49.4m back.

edmonton.citynews.ca/2024/01/10/opp…
Minister @AdrianaLaGrange, you rightly stated that you're "very much in favour" of companies getting contracts competitively through RFP.

MHCare Medical and Atabay got this business via sole-source. Not competitive.

So can we get the $49.4m back now?

Read 5 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Nov 5
1. Danielle Smith ordered EVERY shipment of the $80m MHCare Medical/Atabay children's acetaminophen boondoggle to be AIRLIFTED at taxpayer expense.

2. It's likely these airlifts were handled by MHCare Medical too, with their usual profiteering off the Gov of Alberta.

🧵
How do I know Item 1 above? Well, for starters, Smith told us in her opening PR stunt.

Stupid, wasteful decision. Even if you truly believed you were solving a shortage, you might airlift the first 1-2 shipments, while bringing the rest by ocean freight.

alberta.ca/release.cfm?xI…"Alberta’s government and Alberta Health Services are working with Health Canada on completing the drug establishment licensing approval process. Once the approval is granted, the medication will be delivered to Alberta over 10 air shipments. As soon as the medication arrives in the province, it will be distributed to community and retail pharmacies so that parents and caregivers can purchase it for their children. Because Alberta’s government has secured so many bottles of the pain and fever medication, it is expected that Albertans will be able to find it on pharmacy shelves in the s...
Why do I suspect Item 2 above? MHCare Medical was already the middleman between Atabay, Alberta Health, and Health Canada.

They tout their international logistics experience on their website.

Why would they give GoA's corrupt, lucrative business away?

Read 18 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Oct 30
When I finally got my hands on $80m Danielle Smith/MHCare Medical boondoggle children's acetaminophen, I weighed & measured it.

Thanks to glass bottle: 291 grams

250,000 bottles = 73 tons!

Smith's decision to airlift that to Alberta in Jan 2023 is case study in bad ethics.

🧵 Image
@TheBreakdownAB @LukaszukAB @JMeddings @PfParks The whole boondoggle is enough to kick out a gov and bring in Auditor General.

But Smith's decision to manufacture AND airlift these 250,000 bottles – without a child safety cap (!) – shows the worst of it in one incident.

Shameless Smith made an expensive PR stunt about it.
GoA admitted that the package design they + MHCare submitted for Health Canada approval did not have child resistant cap required by law since at least 2006.

But Smith decided to:
• manufacture 250,000 deficient bottles anyway
• AIRLIFT them here

alberta.ca/release.cfm?xI…Image
Read 55 tweets

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