Alberta invests $1.25B in rural health care
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 | 9:02 PM MT
CBC News
Alberta's rural communities and mid-sized cities are getting a big piece of the province's three-year $2.5 billion capital health plan.
The government will spend a total of $1.25 billion in communities outside of Edmonton and Calgary. The total includes about $200 million for redeveloping the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital and $90 million on a new health centre in High Prairie, Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky announced in Edmonton Wednesday.
High Prairie's new centre will replace the existing facility and the J.B. Wood Nursing Home, with construction to start in 2011.
Edson residents will also get a new health centre.
Work on the $108 million project is scheduled to begin in 2012.
"We've already started some of the design and some of the planning, and some of the engineering work will flow soon," said Zwozdesky.
"We want to get the construction going as quickly as possible...to take some of the projects off the wait list, if you will. That is what today is all about."
On Tuesday, the province announced plans to spend $520 million on a much-needed regional hospital in Grande Prairie.
The hospital will include a new cancer centre, and 200 acute care beds.
It will be built on a new site near Grande Prairie Regional College. Soil testing and site work will begin as soon as possible, with construction scheduled to start in 2011.
Offering 'broken promises': NDP
Alberta is still working on a $1.25 billion phase of the health capital plan, which focuses on projects in Edmonton and Calgary.
NDP Leader Brian Mason said the government can't be trusted to protect public health care.
"Why should Albertans trust the PCs now? For years they have strung us along with broken promises. Now they are re-promising health facilities with money that’s not even budgeted."
"The PC government is doing the Dance of the Seven Veils to try to convince rural communities this latest round of health care promises will be different," Mason said in a statement.
Guy Smith, president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, lauded the government's announcement, saying he was glad the vast majority of funding was for publicly operated health facilities.
"This is a signal that the health minister recognizes that the quality of health care and access to health care can’t be improved without public investment. Front-line workers are doing all they can to improve the system, but are limited by resources," Smith said in a statement.
"Now we need action to bring more nursing and support workers on board to make up for the hiring freeze and serve the increased capacity of the health care system."
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