Cabinet minister and Edmonton MLA Dave Hancock listens at a meeting on health care cuts held in his constituency Monday night. (CBC)Cabinet minister Dave Hancock was heckled at a boisterous and jam-packed meeting about health care held in his southwest Edmonton constituency Monday night.

Someone shouted "Liar! Liar!" as Hancock, the MLA for Edmonton-Whitemud, tried to assure the crowd of 400 about his government's intentions.

"There's been a strong commitment from this government that we will have a publicly funded, publicly paid health care system. We are not moving away from that," Hancock said in one statement that provoked jeers from the crowd.

People at the meeting expressed their anger over recent health care cuts, including the closure of 246 psychiatric beds at Alberta Hospital and reduced funding for patients in long term care facilities.

The turnout delighted meeting organizer Frank Horvath, who said he was only expecting 30 to 50 people to show up. Horvath — a former supporter of Hancock — started up the group, Whitemud Citizens for Public Health.

Horvath believes the province is deliberately underfunding public health care in order to justify privatizing the system. He's hoping other Albertans will host similar meetings to hold their MLAs accountable.

"I would like very much for citizens in other constituencies across Alberta to do something similar because it's clear that the MLAs are not going to do it," he said. "The government MLAs simply are not holding these kinds of meetings and I think they are critically important to engage Albertans so I hope that happens."

Some people at Monday's meeting said they want to do just that.

"The government needs to see that people aren't satisfied with what's happening and I think it's numbers that's going to show them things need to change," said Sherwood Park resident Eloise Petrin.

Health Minister Ron Liepert has been the focus of criticism over his reforms of the health care system - which included the controversial disbanding of the nine regional health authorities in favour of a single board for the entire province - as well as the problem-plagued rollout of the H1N1 vaccination program this fall.

Many are expecting Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach to move Liepert out of the portfolio when he announces a cabinet shuffle this week.