Adding more continuing care beds, reducing wait times for surgeries and improving access to cancer treatment were just some of the pledges made by Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky on Tuesday when he unveiled the province’s new five-year Health Action Plan.
Zwozdesky said Becoming the Best: Alberta’s 5-year Health Action Plan, will give Albertans clear direction on what to expect from their health care system over the next five years.
“It’s time for more action and this plan is the most aggressive plan of any province with respect to health care improvements in Canada,” Zwozdesky said during a mid-day news conference yesterday.
“This five-year health action plan gives Albertans what they want and what they expect from their publicly funded health system: better access, shorter waits, safe quality care and a healthier Alberta,” said Zwozdesky.
Under the plan, the province is committed to a 60 per cent reduction in hip surgery wait times, a 70 per cent reduction in wait times to access radiation oncologists and to have 90 per cent of emergency department patients admitted to a hospital bed within eight hours.
Zwozdesky said the province hopes to have these targets in place by the time the first part of the health plan expires in 2014-2015.
He said the Health Action Plan is part of the government’s overall plan for a publicly funded health care system that began with the establishment of Alberta Health Services (AHS) and was followed by a five-year funding commitment and the introduction of an Alberta Health Act.
The plan also includes a number of short-term actions to be completed by 2012, including:
• Adding 360 more hospital beds and 3,000 more surgeries;
• Expanding HealthLink, a 24-hour nurse telephone advice and health information service;
• Adding 2,300 more continuing care spaces;
• Adding 65 more mental health staff to schools and clinics.
Mid to long-term actions, to be completed by March 2015 include the addition of two more radiation therapy centres in Red Deer and Grande Prairie and the addition of 3,000 more continuing care beds on top of the 2,300 listed under the short-term actions.
The plan also introduces new programs that promote healthy eating and active living.
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 provided input and advice for the plan, which includes 50 new performance measures.
Zwozdesky said AHS will submit performance reports every quarter regardless of progress.
He said the five-year funding plan would have been released several months ago, except for “events that unfolded which simply precluded us from being able to move forward as quickly as we would have liked to.”
Beginning today, Alberta Health Services will be hosting its first Wellness Forum in Edmonton, a three-day event bringing together 250 people from business, health, education, government and community leadership groups to discuss and share ideas regarding wellness.
