CALGARY – Following a volatile few weeks surrounding health care in Alberta, Health minister Gene Zwozdesky and acting CEO of Alberta Health Services Dr. Chris Eagle have announced a 5-year plan to improve care in the province.
Titled “˜Becoming the Best: Alberta’s 5-year Health Action Plan’, the document primarily focuses on reducing wait times for surgeries, offering quicker access to cancer treatments and providing more continuing care options. It also promises faster treatment at emergency rooms, stating 90% of patients will be treated within 8 hours of arriving at an ER.
“This plan is the most aggressive and the most ambitious plan of any province with respect to health care improvements in Canada,” said Zwozdesky.
The Province says the plan will provide Albertans will a clear idea of what they can expect from their health care system over the next 5 years and offers detailed target dates to reach specific goals.
“The Health Action Plan clearly defines short and long-term goals for AHS that will ensure Albertans have access to quality health care,” said Dr. Chris Eagle in a press release. “With the stability provided by the 5-year funding plan, AHS is committed to delivering on these goals and being accountable to all Albertans.”
Short term goals include adding 360 more hospital beds and 3,000 more surgeries, expanding the HealthLink telephone service, adding 2,300 more continuing care spaces, adding 65 more mental health staff to schools and clinics, and launching a Wellness Forum involving community, business and health leaders by March of 2012.
Longer term goals include adding two more radiation therapy centres, one in Red Deer and one in Grande Prairie, in addition to the centre opening in Lethbridge this year, adding 3,000 more continuing care beds on top of the 2,300 included in the short term plan, and introducing new programs to promote healthy eating and active living. These goals are slated to be achieved by March 2015.
The plan was designed to work hand in hand with the Province’s Health Workforce Action Plan, which is meant to ensure there will be enough healthcare professionals employed to help make the changes happen.
The release of the plan comes just one day after AHS board member Dr. Andreas Laupacis resigned. Dr. Laupacis says he joined 3 others in resigning from the board due to political meddling, including the delay of the release of the boards own plan.
“The AHS 2010 to 2015 strategic plan was approved by the board last June and still has not been released,” said Dr. Laupacis in a newspaper article. “Brief delays to obtain ministry input that might improve planes are acceptable. Prolonged delays are not.”
The boards plan has in fact still not been released, but the minister says this one is similar, explaining the delay came simply because they wanted to get it right.
“We needed to have the performance measures clearly identified and agreed to and that took longer than expected,” said Zwozdesky.
Dr. Chris Eagle backed the minister.
“We wanted to make sure if we’re going to make this 5 year commitment that we are actually able to do it in way that we can actually deliver.”
The plan was written with the help of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta, the Alberta College of Pharmacists and the Health Quality Council of Alberta.
The head of the Calgary and area Physicians Association says front line workers are getting tired of endless plans and talk of change and want action. Dr. Lloyd Maybaum says he agrees with the targets in the plan, but says there are little details on how these targets will be met.
The full report can be seen below.
Becoming the Best 2010: Alberta’s 5-year Health Action Plan
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