Liberal MLA Dr. Swann wants broader investigation of Alberta health care

The Liberal health critic, Dr. David Swann,wants a broader investigation into the Alberta health-care system that includes looking at wait times in the province.

The health care queue-jumping inquiry currently underway in Calgary,heard testimony yesterdayabout private clinic patients being allowed to jump over people who have been waiting years for colon cancer scans.

"It may show a few things like this, where private clinics are having preferential access to testing and treatment and that's wrong. We need to be clear about that. But the broader questions remain unanswered. Why do we have such long queues?"asked Swann.

Swann tells CBC News people may bemissing early diagnosis and treatmentbecauseof lengthy wait lists.

"When it takes twoto three years to get a colonoscopy, we are in trouble in this province."

Swann says he does not expect any significant answers from the inquiry while the broader issues are not addressed.