Alberta government expands access to surgical care

The Alberta government wants people to be chanting "hip hip hooray" when it comes to its latest announcement about surgeries such as those for broken hips. This is because the Alberta government will be spending $313 million over three years in the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI) Capital Program in Budget 2024. “These funds will be used to renovate surgical suites and support areas in various communities across the province,” said Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange at a Tuesday press conference. “We are also providing $305 million to Alberta Health Services to enable the completion of 310,000 surgical procedures this year.” LaGrange pointed out this is an increase of 6% from 2022/2023. With the ASI, LaGrange said it will focus on guiding people through their surgical journeys from the moment they seek initial advice, when they are referred to a specialist and their surgery and rehabilitation period. The ASI will focus on putting patients first, managing capacity and doing whatever is possible to ensure Albertans receive required surgeries within appropriate wait times. The Alberta government will be spending $159 million over three years to renovate several medical device reprocessing departments. She said these renovations “will improve efficiency and sustainability, enabling more surgeries to be performed locally.” When Budget 2024 passes, she said it will put Albertans first. In Budget 2024, she said it recognizes the need to refocus the healthcare system and spend money on the care Albertans need. She added it prioritizes patients and could improve service delivery. LaGrange concluded by saying it spends money on surgical care because no one should have to wait for answers or treatment longer than recommended. While the Alberta government is committed to building a better healthcare system, she said this funding will make a difference to patients. Alberta Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie said Alberta Infrastructure will be directing this funding to 20 projects in 11 communities. “Currently, development is underway for several of our rural communities, including Brooks, Fort Saskatchewan, Innisfail, Olds, Ponoka and Stettler,” said Guthrie. “In Lethbridge, two operating rooms are being upgraded and expanded along with the addition of four inpatient spaces.” Once the Lethbridge operating room upgrades are finished, Guthrie said they will double the hospital’s surgical capacity. He pointed out the Alberta government was putting the finishing touches on an expansion and renovation in Rocky Mountain House that will add a new operating room and medical device reprocessing department. Alberta rural health parliamentary secretary Martin Long said this spending “will result in more surgeries being completed across the province and will benefit rural communities like the one I’m proud to call home.” “Rural and especially remote Albertans are faced with geographic barriers — limited healthcare infrastructure, limited access to technology and a lack of healthcare professionals, particularly specialized healthcare professionals like surgeons,” said Long. “The current surgical wait times exacerbate these already difficult circumstances and can lead to negative outcomes for patients and their families.” When it comes to this funding, Long said it is critical and will make a difference. This is because it will bridge existing gaps by renovating surgical suites and creating new spaces for people to receive care. LaGrange followed up by saying the 310,000 anticipated surgeries run the gamut from minor to more complex. “What we are seeing is that we’re able to utilize the chartered surgical facilities,” she said. “They’re doing approximately 60,000 surgeries a year.” By using chartered surgical facilities, she said they alleviate stress on hospitals so they can do the more complex ones. However, she wanted them to be done in clinically approved wait times. Alberta NDP MLA Luanne Metz (Calgary-Varsity) said she has some concerns about the government’s approach to surgeries. “One of them is the lack of transparency in a lot of the data,” said Metz. “For example, you asked about the complications, but that isn’t data available to any of us.” Another issue she expressed concerns over was the Alberta government talking about getting more surgeries done. However, it has increased the amount done in the last year by 1%. The Alberta government said on February 29 Budget 2024 will continue to prioritize the delivery of high-quality, reliable healthcare, with funding for the planning of the Stollery Children’s Hospital, attracting family physicians to rural areas and adding more mental health and addiction facilities. READ MORE: ALBERTA BUDGET 2024: Increased spending aims at improving the healthcare system“In Budget 2024, Alberta’s government is continuing to prioritize the delivery of high-quality, reliable health services across the province,” said LaGrange. “This year’s record investment of $26.2 billion in healthcare will help us continue toward our goals of improving primary healthcare, adding capacity, reducing wait times, growing the workforce and advancing the Healthcare Action Plan.”

Alberta government expands access to surgical care

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