Notley promises extra $90M a year to reduce waits in surgery, emergency wards
Posted March 26, 2019 12:06 pm.
Last Updated March 26, 2019 10:35 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY – Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley is promising to spend an additional $90 million a year on health to further reduce surgery wait times if the party is re-elected April 16.
Notley says the money would also go toward getting patients quicker care in emergency wards.
She forecasts almost 40,000 Albertans would get faster cancer, open-heart and cataract surgeries over the next three years.
RELATED: Premier Notley sees rise in approval: report
The NDP plan builds on work already done to reduce wait times, particularly for breast cancer surgery.
Notley says her government would continue to fund specialized EMS liaison teams to care for patients in emergency wards so that ambulance crews could return to the street faster.
United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney has said he wouldn’t cut health budgets but would look to reduce administrative overlap and explore private care options to improve wait times.
