Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro says the province will expand the 43 chartered surgical facilities that already contract with Alberta Health Services and the call is going out for new proposals as well.

One day after the Alberta government proposed a new bill that would accelerate approvals of private clinics in order to get more surgeries done, people in the health sector are reacting to how the process could affect health care across the province.

The Alberta government is proposing legislation that would accelerate approvals of private clinics in order to get more surgeries done.

Under current timelines, two-year-old Nash Ritchie would be twice the Alberta Health Services recommended age by the time he gets an important surgery.

Alberta Health Services said it plans to complete between 26,000 and 30,000 surgeries over the next six weeks.

Restarting some elective procedures this week is part of the province’s relaunch plan.

Alberta is spending $100 million to upgrade hospital operating rooms and move some low-risk surgeries to smaller facilities and private clinics.

Just 58 per cent of Albertans waiting for cataract surgery are getting their procedure done within the medically accepted wait time of 112 days.