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TENILLE TELLMAN
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The Alberta government will spend the coming weeks ensuring they have a handle on their health capital, according to Health Minister Ron Liepert.
Following the release of the progress report on his nine-month action plan for health and new provincial continuing care strategy, Liepert told the News government is still reviewing plans and the current economic situation before moving forward with capital projects.
Too many times in the past, government has counted on surplus dollars coming forward and unfortunately, that may not be the case this year, he added.
Asked whether or not the $280-million previously set aside for the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital expansion project still exists, Liepert replied: “I would suggest that those kinds of commitments . . . will be followed through on. It’s just a matter of ensuring that before we start putting the cement into the ground and putting the walls up that they’re the walls that are going to fit in with our Vision 2020 and our continuing care documents.”
The recently released Vision 2020 strategy was based on the 15-week provincial service optimization review of health service delivery in the province, completed by McKinsey and Company. The Alberta Liberals recently revealed the report cost taxpayers an extra $1 million, on top of an initial $620,000 payment.
Liepert said the company did “outstanding work” and many of their recommendations were not only used in Vision 2020, but also in the new Aging in the Right Places document.
Over the last nine months, Alberta Health and Wellness has moved health care governance under a single board, introduced new children’s mental health strategies, looked into sustainability for the future and produced a pharmacy strategy. With the model now in place, Liepert says the documents need to make their way through the system so they can begin to be implemented at the front-line level.
As for capital projects, Liepert has been meeting with the Treasury Board regularly and hopes announcements can be made prior to the provincial budget delivery, which is expected in February or March of 2009.
“Hopefully we can get some closure around some of these capital projects sooner than that and say ‘here’s what we can do in Medicine Hat and here’s what we can’t do’.” |
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