In his first week as Minister of Health & Wellness, Edmonton MLA Gene Zwozdesky announced "a stop to any further changes of acute care beds right now." This decision pauses plans by the Alberta Health Services Superboard to close 300 acute-care beds in Edmonton and Calgary over the next three years.
Zwozdesky continued to explain that if AHS Chair Ken Hughes and CEO Stephen Duckett "were contemplating closures, I have asked them to not contemplate anything further until I have had a chance to take a look at them."
"It's good that our new minister is turning back from the 'wrong way' of reducing our health care capacity," says UNA President Heather Smith.
But she also points out the announcement about stopping the bed closures was accompanied by the disclaimer 'for now'.
"Albertans absolutely need these beds in our hospitals, there's no question," says Heather Smith. "We have dangerous overcapacity beds and crowding and waits, now. We need to be expanding capacity, not shrinking it," Heather Smith says.
Strong opposition from Albertans also forced the new Minister to reverse plans to close most or all of the beds at Alberta Hospital Edmonton, instead promising to transfer the beds to Villa Caritas.
The future of these decisions are not permanent and will be tied to funding in the provincial budget to be released on February 9. "Albertans accept that there will be costs involved in repairing the damage that has been done to our public health care system," says Heather Smith.
"Albertans expect the Minister to repair the damage and provide the public heath care that citizens deserve and depend on," says Heather Smith.
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