CALGARY -- The province is seeking independent facilities to provide more publicly-funded surgeries in Alberta as part of its goal of reducing wait times by funding 80,000 additional procedures over the next three years.
Alberta Health Services posted an expression of interest Friday, seeking to "gauge the interest and ability of independent facilities to provide more publicly-funded surgeries."
The move is part of the Alberta Surgical Wait-Times Initiative.
“We’re eager to hear from independent providers who want to help us improve access. They already perform thousands of surgeries for Albertans, providing safe care that’s convenient for patients and reduces costs," said Health Minister Tyler Shandro.
"We’re going to make the best use of hospitals and independent providers to give every patient the right care in the right setting, and give Albertans the best access to surgery in Canada.”
In a statement, NDP health critic David Shepherd called the move, "another step on the wrong path by (Premier) Jason Kenney," and said it could lead to "American-style healthcare."
"In addition to expanding on procedures that were previously done in private clinics on a limited basis, Jason Kenney is now planning on moving hip and knee replacement surgeries out of public hospitals and into private facilities," he wrote.
"Every Alberta tax dollar spent padding the profit of these private clinics is a dollar not spent on improving our public healthcare system. This embrace of private surgeries happens alongside deep UCP cuts to nursing and hospital funding. Albertans should be gravely concerned with this rush towards American-style healthcare.”
In a release, the province says 42 of 80 independent providers — also known as non-hospital surgical facilities — provided about "40,000 publicly-funded surgeries under contract with AHS, at no cost to patients."
Patient advocacy group Friends of Medicare released a statement, saying the move paves the way toward the privatization of healthcare.
“’Contracting out’ is a euphemism that proponents of privatization use often to obscure the processes that governments use to pave the way for privatization,” said executive director Sandra Azocar.
“It is a way of putting a public good in the hands of the private sector, whose desire to increase profits always negatively impacts patient needs and safety.”
Another part of the initiative will see Dr. Francois Belanger, the chief medical officer with AHS explore whether independent clinics can also provide surgeries that are currently done exclusively in hospitals, such as hip and knee replacements.
"Right now, non-hospital surgical facilities perform low-risk day surgeries. As independent clinics take on a wider range of surgeries, they will free up capacity in hospitals for emergency surgeries and more-complex procedures," reads a release from the province.
Respondents have until Feb. 28 to submit their expressions of interest.
There are about 293,000 surgeries done in Alberta each year, with 85 per cent of those performed in a hospital.
All non-hospital surgical facilities must be accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and follow safety and quality standards.
