Improving our Public Health System and Reducing Surgical Wait Times
As we learn to live with COVID, we are building capacity across our health care system to respond to future demands on it and deliver on our commitment to reduce wait times for surgeries.
Prior to COVID, wait times for non-urgent surgeries like cataract and hip & knee surgeries were far too long. COVID made matters worse. That is why we are transforming our surgical system and investing in greater surgical capacity as part of the Alberta Surgical Initiative, to catch up on the COVID backlog and make a meaningful impact on wait times.
Budget 2022 provides $133 million over the course of three years to build new operating rooms in hospitals across Alberta, including at the Foothills hospital. We are also partnering with Chartered Surgical Facilities (CSFs) to create greater capacity for even more surgeries. For example, we have reached agreements with CSFs to provide 35,000 cataract and other eye procedures this coming year, a 25% increase from last year.
CSFs are not new. They have safely provided publicly funded surgeries for years. Five years ago, CSFs provided 40,000 surgeries a year, approximately 15% of total publicly funded surgeries. Over the past year, approximately 30% of all cataract surgeries provided in Calgary were done in CSFs. They are part of our publicly funded health care system, no different than seeing your family physicians. Shifting volumes to CSFs also frees up space for other surgeries in our hospitals.
I want to thank all health care providers in Calgary-Varsity and across the province for the tremendous work they are doing.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, feel free to reach me through email at [email protected] or call 403-216-5436.
MLA – Calgary Varsity Jason Copping proudly serves the following Communities: Banff Trail, Brentwood, Charleswood, Parkdale, Point McKay, Silver Springs, St. Andrew Heights, University District, University Heights, Varsity Acres
