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Alberta Begins Global Shipments of Donated Children’s Pain Medicine

Under an AHS agreement with Health Partners International of Canada, 1.4 million unused bottles will be sent to crisis-stricken areas such as Ukraine, with Alberta pursuing alternate drugs from MHCare under the original deal.

The government of Alberta paid more than $70 million for 1.4 million bottles of children's pain medicine in 2022, during a countrywide shortage, but was forced to stop distributing the medicine when health care workers raised safety concerns.

Overview

  • Alberta Health Services has agreed to donate its remaining 1.4 million bottles of Turkish-imported children’s pain medicine to Health Partners International of Canada for distribution to vulnerable communities.
  • Preliminary shipments have departed Alberta, with some of the surplus medicine bound for Ukraine and additional consignments scheduled in the coming months.
  • The stockpile originated from a $70 million MHCare Medical contract in 2022 that delivered only 30 percent of the order and was suspended in spring 2023 after frontline staff warned the thicker formula could clog neonatal feeding tubes.
  • Opposition NDP finance critic Court Ellingson has criticized the government for lacking a plan to recover funds and refusing to accept responsibility for the procurement failures.
  • The RCMP and other agencies are investigating contracting and conflict-of-interest allegations linked to MHCare as Alberta continues negotiations to secure alternative paediatric drugs under the original agreement.