Alberta’s United Conservative government will dismantle Alberta Health Services and create four separate service delivery organisations out of the pieces.
In a news conference held Wednesday, Premier Danielle Smith said the transition to an “integrated provincial healthcare delivery system that concentrates on four priority areas,” will occur over the next 18 to 24 months.
Those organizations will have the following responsibilies:
- primary care
- acute care
- continuing care
- mental health and addiction
“We believe that by creating specialized organizations within one provincial system, we will enable each organization to look after one area of healthcare only, and avoid the scattered and uncoordinated approach of the more rigid centralized structure that exists now.”
Smith promised a more accountable health care system, “ensuring consistent quality care across the province. Patient outcomes will be better monitored as a result, and all of this will result in a better system not only for patients but also for healthcare workers.” said Smith.
The premier reiterated her public health care guarantee to Albertans, “no one will pay out of pocket for a visit to a doctor or for hospital services, and that is not changing. These reforms have nothing to do with privatisation. They are also not cuts,”
“Alberta’s government will continue to grow the healthcare workforce and we anticipate that there will be no job losses to AHS staff working in frontline positions who are directly delivering patient care,”
“Our government knows that Alberta needs more healthcare workers and so we’ll continue to recruit and train more of them. This isn’t change for the sake of change. This is a matter of redirecting Alberta’s healthcare system, making it patient centred, seamless and effective,” Smith said.
NDP Opposition leader Rachel Notley says the restructuring will bring chaos
and represents full politicization of health care.
Alberta’s United Conservative government will dismantle Alberta Health Services and create four separate service delivery organisations out of the pieces.
In a news conference held Wednesday, Premier Danielle Smith said the transition to an “integrated provincial healthcare delivery system that concentrates on four priority areas,” will occur over the next 18 to 24 months.
Those organizations will have the following responsibilities:
- primary care
- acute care
- continuing care
- mental health and addiction
“We believe that by creating specialized organizations within one provincial system, we will enable each organization to look after one area of healthcare only and avoid the scattered and uncoordinated approach of the more rigid centralized structure that exists now.”
Smith promised a more accountable health care system, “ensuring consistent quality care across the province. Patient outcomes will be better monitored as a result, and all of this will result in a better system not only for patients but also for healthcare workers.” said Smith.
The premier reiterated her public health care guarantee to Albertans, “no one will pay out of pocket for a visit to a doctor or for hospital services, and that is not changing. These reforms have nothing to do with privatisation. They are also not cuts,”
“Alberta’s government will continue to grow the healthcare workforce and we anticipate that there will be no job losses to AHS staff working in frontline positions who are directly delivering patient care,”
“Our government knows that Alberta needs more healthcare workers and so we’ll continue to recruit and train more of them. This isn’t change for the sake of change. This is a matter of redirecting Alberta’s healthcare system, making it patient centred, seamless, and effective,” Smith said.
NDP Opposition leader Rachel Notley says the restructuring will bring chaos and represents full politicisation of health care.
