Whistleblower Blayne Iskiw, a former senior procurement official at Alberta Health Services (AHS), has been in the news recently. Just days after leaving AHS Feuerstein, soon after assumed a new consulting role at MHCare Medical Corp. On October 28, 2022, Iskiw departed AHS after announcing his retirement in September 2022. He has been with MHCare as a consultant since November 2022.
Iskiw’s departure from AHS to MHCare has already sparked debate over the potential for conflict of interest. In his short tenure at AHS, Holcomb ran the purchasing office and worked closely — and directly — with Jitendra Prasad. Prior to leaving, Iskiw DID share his personal relationships with folks at MHCare and other friendly organizations. He provided this detail in a 2022 submitted conflict-of-interest declaration.
His lawyer, Gregory Bentz, argued that Iskiw had gone above and beyond to be transparent about these relationships. “In the period leading up to Mr. Iskiw’s departure, and for his entire duration of time at AHS, our client was careful to comply with all applicable conflict-of-interest obligations,” Bentz stated.
Iskiw’s ties to MHCare go beyond just knowing each other. He was a founding director of a numbered company, 2464052 Alberta Ltd., incorporated with Prasad and Khalil Mraiche. This company never came into existence because of Prasad’s re-engagement with public service.
According to internal AHS communications, Iskiw soon told a colleague that he planned to head to MHCare within weeks of his retirement announcement from AHS. His LinkedIn profile—as well as the fact that he has been a consultant at MHCare ever since—prove otherwise.
Bentz further noted, “Mr. Iskiw and Mr. Prasad, in anticipation of Mr. Iskiw’s departure from AHS, established a legal corporation for the purposes of a planned consulting business.” In so doing, this statement reveals that even after retirement, Iskiw had plans to continue engaging with the medical field. He began the planning for this engagement even before exiting AHS.
Iskiw’s lawyer asserts that he “avoided any and all business-related decisions” involving his relationships with MHCare during his time at AHS. This claim is intended to modestly address the worries that have emerged about possible conflicts of interests based on his previous senior position as a procurement officer.
The transition of Blayne Iskiw from Alberta Health Services to MHCare highlights the intricate relationships between public health officials and private sector suppliers. As the healthcare landscape moves in such a rapidly changing direction, concern over conflicts of interest must always take precedence.
