ALBERTA – Health and Wellness Minister Gene Zwozdesky announced Wednesday that the Province has accepted all 15 recommendations made in the Alberta Health Act consultation report, which was presented to him in September.
“We have embraced the full scope of the recommendations and the direction given by Albertans during consultations on the Alberta Health Act,” said Zwozdesky in a release. “The valuable input received from Albertans will help our government continue to move forward with the Premier’s vision to build the best-performing publicly funded health system in Canada.”
The report, submitted to the Province by Edmonton-Rutherford MLA Fred Horne and an 8-member Advisory committee, included two parts; the first contains the recommendations and the other, a record of what Albertans views are on healthcare in the province. The team gathered information from Albertans over a 4-month period, asking their opinions on a proposed Alberta Health Act and the future of the publicly funded health system. The aim was to help improve the way Albertans receive health care.
The report’s recommendations include mandating a Health Charter, establishing a Health Advocate and developing new approaches to public engagement on heath legislation, regulation and policy matters.
“On behalf of all Albertans who participated in the consultation, I am pleased to see that government has accepted the report’s recommendations,” said Horne. “Albertans clearly said they want a system that puts people first. The report’s recommendations lay the foundation for new health legislation and improvements to the health system and I look forward to the introduction of the proposed Alberta Health Act.”
Zwozdesky also confirmed that he will introduce a proposed Alberta Health Act during the Fall legislative session as the first phase in implementing all of the report’s recommendations.
The Wildrose Caucus responded to the announcement Wednesday by saying the recommendations gloss over the real issues patients face and do not help bring the systems spending under control.
“They say they want to put people first, but we heard nothing today about improving access to urgent care, guaranteeing shorter wait times, getting more family doctors, or hiring more staff to work in empty hospitals,” said Wildrose Health Critic Heather Forsyth. “It’s been more than two years since they centralized health care, and they still haven’t figured out what the issues are or how to fix them.”
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The recommendations include:
Recommendation 1: Preamble in Alberta Health Act will set out aspirations Albertans have for their health system. Preamble will recognize Alberta’s commitment to the principles of the Canada Health Act.
Recommendation 2: Principles in the Alberta Health Act should “Put People First” and guide policies, organization, operations and decisions throughout the health system. Principles will define that the health system will have a greater focus on wellness.
Recommendation 3: Establish a requirement in the Alberta Health Act that public notice be provided when regulations are proposed, with adequate time for public input to be received.
Recommendation 4: Establish requirement in the Alberta Health Act that any public input must be considered by the Minister before making proposed regulations.
Recommendation 5: Establish a Health Charter under the Alberta Health Act.
Recommendation 6: The Health Charter should specifically commit that all Albertans have access to primary care services through primary care teams.
Recommendation 7: Establish a Health Advocate who reports to the Minister of Health and Wellness and works to resolve citizen concerns with the health system and publishes annual reports.
Recommendation 8: Stipulate a time frame for periodic review of the Health Advocate.
Recommendation 9: Require that professional colleges have bylaws, codes of conduct and operating guidelines that are consistent with the Alberta Health Act, and comply with the principles of the Act.
Recommendation 10: Establish a process of public engagement on health policies and regulations.
Recommendation 11: Mandate the Health Quality Council of Alberta to monitor performance of the health system in accordance with the principles of the Alberta Health Act and the Health Charter.
Recommendation 12: Engage the general public and health stakeholders in validating a draft Health Charter.
Recommendation 13: Develop and build knowledge and understanding about the Health Charter throughout the health system and broadly among Albertans.
Recommendation 14: Measures should be developed for 3 areas: health status of Albertans; health care outcomes; and health system performance.
Recommendation 15: Have a steering committee develop a model for an arm’s length entity to support evidence-based decision-making.
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