Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says the new agency responsible for primary health care in the province should be up and running by next month.--CP FILE PHOTO
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Primary Care Alberta will become operational this fall, the province announced Tuesday.
The province says the new agency will create a modern, more responsive and unified health-care system that prioritizes patients, empowers front-line health-care professionals and helps reduce pressures on the entire system. The system has a goal of ensuring every Albertan has access to high-quality primary care services in all regions, and are supported in their day-to-day health needs through every stage of life.
“Starting up Primary Care Alberta is an important milestone in refocusing the health-care system to put patients first and give our front-line experts the support they need to ensure Albertans are receiving the care they deserve,” said Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health.
Her announcement comes as part of the provincial government’s plan to divide AHS into four new agencies. LaGrange has said splitting up the agency would streamline health care, as roles and responsibilities would be better defined.
After the transition, AHS is expected to be relegated to strictly hospital care.
Dr. Kim Simmonds, an epidemiologist and assistant deputy minister of strategic planning and performance for Alberta Health, was named Primary Care Alberta’s first chief executive.
She said primary care is the “foundation of the health-care system.”
This agency is the first of its kind to be established in a provincial health-care system, the government of Alberta says, and it is a dedicated organization to support governance, oversight, delivery, operation and co-ordination.
“If primary care is to be the foundation on which the entire health system stands, every Albertan must have an ongoing connection and trusting relationship with a family doctor or health care team,” said Simmonds. “They must belong to a health home where they are known and where they don’t have to tell their health story over and over again. There is much work to do in Alberta to achieve these goals, and I’m eager to get going to help make it happen.”
The announcement was met with criticism from the province’s public sector. AUPE vice-president Sandra Azocar says the announcement provided more questions than answers and risks de-stabilizing what is already in place in the health-care system.
“Breaking up primary care will impact staff and patients, especially in rural Alberta,” said Azocar. “There is so much uncertainty. AUPE members in smaller communities are anxious to know whether they will even work at the same facility.”
Azocar said she doubts the announcement will increase access to and quality of primary care, and that “the government’s policies are driving health-care workers away from their professions and away from Alberta. Stop the ideological bumbling and focus on improving working conditions and care conditions in our public health-care system.”
The government’s dismantling of Alberta Health Services is expected to include two more organizations responsible for hospital care and continuing care. Recovery Alberta took over mental health and addictions from AHS on Sept. 1.
