Alberta has a new health minister and he is making his presence known. One of the first swipes of the pen for Gene Zwozdesky, Edmonton's new MLA, was to cancel the proposed closing of the 300 acute care beds in Calgary and Edmonton. Considered a positive governmental move, it may just put a little faith back into Alberta's health care system.
The proposed bed closures, coming at a time when Alberta's Health Services is straining to provide adequate patient care, as well as the miscalculation of the need for the H1N1 flu vaccine have undermined public confidence in the system.
The reversal of the bed closings is seen as a positive move. But there are still issues with the health system that will take time, and money, to turn around. Patients in need of hip and knee replacements are waiting months for their surgeries. Cancer patients wait weeks for radiation therapy. Albertans are paying for services they are just not getting.
There are changes in the works. Taking a queue from Denmark's efficient health system, Alberta is starting to initiate activity based funding. This means that a health facility gets paid for each patient it sees. Right now each health service gets a lump sum that they must budget from to last the year. The more patients seen, the less money available to be spent per person. This total reversal in philosophy and funding should improve patient care.
Other issues, such as efficient staffing of nurses and the possibility of some privatization of certain health services to ease the burden on the province's health care system, are possible solutions. These, particularly the private health care issue, will require the navigation of many rolls of red tape and a change in mind set before they have even a chance of getting off the ground. Minister Zwozdesky has made a start. How far will he get, or be allowed to go?
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