(Watch above: Edmonton’s former mayor spoke about his priorities as Alberta’s new health minister today. Fletcher Kent was there.)
EDMONTON – Former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel is still learning the ropes in his new position as Alberta’s health minister, but outlined some priorities Friday.
He referenced the premier’s mandate letter, saying his priorities are the governance model, decentralization, dealing with mental illness, drug addiction and handling the challenges of continuing care. (You can read the full mandate letter below).
“One of the really important things is to try to move the ability to make decisions down to those who are making the decisions and not interfere with them,” said Mandel. “That’s the goal.”
He explained that doesn’t mean there won’t be some centralized services, like IT.
“The time has come to take a look at how we can get some decision-making back into the hands of those who are delivering the service.”
Mandel said he wants to work with Alberta Health Services to understand how it works and if there is room for a more efficient organizational structure.
“Let’s be fair: Alberta has a great health care system. If you get sick in Alberta, you get taken care of. That doesn’t mean there’s not some mistakes, there’s not some problems, but if you’re in the system, you’re taken care of. I think there’s a tremendous amount of frustration at the delivery level.”
He wouldn’t say which riding he plans to run in, but promised there would be news on that in the next few days.
(Watch below: Raw video of Health Minister Mandel’s media availability)
Mandel expects a big learning curve to come during Question Period.
“I’ll get killed probably. I don’t know, I’ll try my best. I mean, They’ll ask questions, and I’ll try to answer them. I can only do so much. I’m learning.”
“Hopefully, we’ll be respectful… I haven’t been in Question Period, but I’ve seen it, and we’ll have to deal with those challenges.”
Mandel was also asked how he felt about being given the province’s biggest portfolio by Premier Jim Prentice.
“I was quite pleased that he had the confidence I could do it.”
He said he will approach the job by breaking it down into smaller parts rather than looking at AHS as a mammoth organization.
The new health minister said he won’t completely “renovate” the health care system, but will fine-tune it.
“We have a system in place,” he said. “We work with that, and I don’t believe we should be looking to destroy that; we need to look to improve it.”
Premier Prentice’s Mandate Letter: Health
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