Province plans additional 55K surgeries this year thanks to additional funds

There is also money earmarked for capital projects over the next three years including Calgary’s Foothills Hospital and Rockyview General Hospital.

“We promised Albertans shorter wait times for surgery and we’re going to deliver. The pandemic has forced us to adjust, but it hasn’t changed our commitment to giving Albertans the best access to scheduled surgery in Canada. AHS, Covenant Health, and chartered surgical facilities are already doing more surgeries in some areas,” says Health Minister Tyler Shandro.

“Going forward, we’re going to eliminate the backlog this year and press on toward the goal of the Alberta Surgical Initiative – to provide all scheduled surgeries within clinically acceptable times by 2023.”

Chartered surgical facilities began ramping up activities in December. Their goal is to provide about 90,000 surgeries each year by 2023, up from about 40,000 per year now.

Last year, about 77,000 Albertans were on waitlists for surgeries. According to the government, that has now been reduced by almost 3,000 to 74,200.

The province says projects aimed at increasing the number of surgeries are underway or being planned in several communities including Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. LNN has reached out to Alberta Health Services to learn more.

by David Opinko

Province plans additional 55K surgeries this year thanks to additional funds

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