Alberta's Health System
WHERE WE ARE NOW

1000 join in the front lines
Beds for the short term. Beds for the long term
Health spending on the rise
Funding
More doctors for a growing province
Services & Equipment
More procedures = less waiting time
Drug programs where they're most needed
Immunization programs get a shot in the arm
The system: Who does what?
Protecting and improving the health system
MRIs - more miracle machines for Alberta.
For information and services.

EVERY ALBERTAN has the right to know what is happening in health.  How dollars are spent. What results the system is getting.  How health care is being improved. Being open and honest about a system we all care about is the best way to preserve and strengthen it.

The recommendations of last February's Health Summit clearly demonstrated Albertans want more information about health and the health system. This report will give you a clear picture of progress toward the goal of maintaining a quality health system accessible to all Albertans when they need it.

1000 join the front lines

More than 1,000 additional front-line health workers are being hired this year to boost service in emergency wards, acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities and home care. All of the province's 17 regional health authorities received additional funding for extra front-line staff, including registered nurses, psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, dietitians and others.

Regional health authorities have received more funding for long term care. This means additional beds in long term care facilities, freeing up more beds for short term treatment. The result will be shorter waiting lists for both types of care. For example, the Capital Health Authority has added 100 acute care beds and 91 long term care beds in the past 18 months with a further 143 planned for next year. The Palliser Health Authority in Medicine Hat is adding 20 long term care beds this year and 65 more next year. And the Calgary RHA is adding 100 non-acute care beds this year. Province-wide, more than 400 new long-term care beds are being added next year.

In March of 1999, the provincial government provided an increase of nearly $1 billion in health spending to deal with short term pressures on the system and to ensure health services will be available to every Albertan who needs them in the future. The money will be spread out over three years and will bring government's total health spending to over $5.4 billion in the year 2002. Much of the new money is being spent on more nurses and other front-line staff and the crucial services they provide.

• Health spending is increasing by over $950 million over three years, an increase of over 21%
• Health spending in 1999-2000 totals over $5 billion, or over $13 million a day

More doctors for a growing province

Alberta has attracted more doctors as the province has grown, with many going to our rural and remote areas. An increase of nearly $50 million has gone towards doctor fees and increasing the number of doctors. Over 240 additional doctors began practising in the province between June 1998 and June 1999 including more than 90 new doctors for rural Alberta.

• More life saving surgeries and procedures available
• More long and short term beds
• New MRI units for Red Deer, Lethbridge, Grande Prairie and Edmonton
• New program to support the cost of drugs for patients at home
• More funding to cover the cost of new drugs
• Increased funding for health authorities includes replacement of essential medical equipment
• Increase in cancer and mental health services

The boost in health spending means more life saving procedures can be performed. Angioplasties will increase from 2,435 in 1998-1999 to 2,935 in 1999-2000 (a 20.5% increase). Major cardiac valve procedures will go from 764 to 823. Coronary bypasses will increase from 1,373 to 1,431. And dialysis treatments will increase by more than 16%. More procedures will mean less waiting time for people who need them.

New drugs are making a huge difference in people's lives and well being. But new drugs are expensive. An increase of $24 million will go to help cover the cost of these new drugs for the people who need them. In addition, a $6 million program to help support the cost of drugs for patients who are recovering at home is being established. And another new program now provides drugs for palliative patients receiving care at home.

Immunization of seniors and children is on the rise in Alberta. This year, a pneumococcal vaccine is now available free of charge to all Alberta seniors. This vaccine protects against serious infections, a leading cause of illness and death among the elderly.

Last month, a program to provide Hepatitis B vaccine to all grade 12 students in Alberta got underway. The program will immunize up to 48,000 students a year against this very serious disease and supplement the grade 5 "Hep B" program that began several years ago.

The System: Who does what?

• The Alberta Government
  The provincial government oversees the big picture in Alberta's health system. It makes the policies, passes the laws and sets the overall standards that make the system work. It also decides how much money will be set aside for health needs province-wide.

• The Regional Health Authorities
  Alberta is divided into 17 regional health authorities who are responsible for the day to day operation of the health system in their local areas. They deliver health services directly to residents. It's their responsibility to make appropriate spending decisions with the funds the provincial government provides. Hospitals, continuing care facilities, community health services, and disease prevention and health promotion all come under their jurisdiction.

• The Provincial Health Authorities
  Two provincial health authorities - the Alberta Cancer Board and the Alberta Mental Health Board - provide cancer and mental health services to all Albertans.

The Canada Health Act outlines how physician and hospital services are delivered in Canada. Provincial governments are responsible for delivering health services, but are required to adhere to the principles of the Canada Health Act to qualify for federal funding.

The principles are:

Public Administration - The health system operates on a non-profit basis. Services may be contracted out to the private sector, but overall control must be in the public sector.

Comprehensiveness - All medically necessary physician and hospital services must be insured.

Universality - All Canadians are entitled to public health insurance coverage for medical and hospital services.

Portability - Canadians must receive insurance coverage for hospital and medical services received in another province.

Accessibility - Medically necessary services must be available without user fees, extra billing or other barriers to reasonable access.

Government is proposing new legislation that would establish in law its commitment to a publicly funded and publicly administered health system. The legislation would also prohibit the establishment of any parallel, two-tier private health system in Alberta. Legislation would incorporate key principles including:

• All Albertans have access to insured services on a fair and equitable basis through the publicly funded and publicly administered health system.
• Albertans do not pay for insured surgical services and nobody can pay directly to get faster service.
• Regional health authorities are responsible for all hospital services.
• Health authorities could contract with private providers to deliver insured surgical services if it would improve access to services, improve efficiency, or reduce waiting lists.
• Private providers of insured surgical services could operate only under contract or agreement with a health authority and within the principles of the Canada Health Act. There would be no American-style private hospitals in Alberta.

A policy statement outlining the principles to guide the development of the legislation was released on November 17. Albertans are invited to get more information and provide input before legislation is introduced.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a vital tool in diagnosing disease and injury so that patients can receive the right treatment at the right time. Alberta has increased the number of MRI procedures by more than 70% since 1995-96. New MRI machines in Lethbridge, Edmonton and Calgary this year, and in Red Deer and Grande Prairie next year, will increase the number of procedures by over 7,000 per year, cutting waiting times and providing Albertans throughout the province with easier access to this crucial technology.

For information about the services in your area, call your Regional Health Authority:

• Alberta Cancer Board (780) 412-6300

• Alberta Mental Health Board 1-877-303-2642

• Chinook Regional Health Authority (#1) 1-800-595-2742

• Palliser Health Authority (#2) 1-800-606-1008

• Headwaters Health Authority (#3) (403) 601-8330

• Calgary Health Region (#4) (403) 265-4636

• Health Authority 5 (#5) 1-877-777-5395

• David Thompson Regional Health Authority (#6) 1-800-752-8957

• East Central Regional Health Authority (#7) (780) 608-8800

• WestView Regional Health Authority (#8) (780) 987-8204

• Crossroads Regional Health Authority (#9) (780) 352-3766

• Capital Health Authority (#10) (780) 407-1010

• Aspen Regional Health Authority (#11) (780) 349-8705

• Lakeland Regional Health Authority (#12) (780) 656-2030

• Mistahia Health Region (#13) (780) 538-5387

• Peace Regional Health Authority (#14) (780) 618-4500

• Keeweetinok Lakes Regional Health Authority (#15) (780) 523-6641

• Northern Lights Regional Health Authority (#16) (780) 791-6161

• Northwestern Regional Health Authority (#17) (780) 926-4388