Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci said he’s aware of Red Deer’s “big push” for a local hospital expansion, including a cardiac catheterization laboratory.
And he added it will be on his mind in the months leading to the 2018 budget announcement.
But Ceci stopped short of committing to address Red Deer hospital’s infrastructure needs in a phone interview with the Advocate Thursday.
Instead, the minister mentioned that work is underway by Alberta Health Services on an “integrated provincial strategy” on catheterization services.
“I know patients outside Calgary and Edmonton want timely access, with (services) as close to home as would be considered possible,” said Ceci, but he added he will wait for the strategy before making any decisions.
Several rallies have been led by Red Deer doctors to draw attention to the local hospital crunch first identified in a 2014 report by Alberta Health Services, and called a high priority.
They maintain Red Deer hospital is one of the five busiest in Alberta, but is short 96 beds (no new acute care beds have opened in 20 years), three operating rooms, and 18 emergency room stretchers.
Physicians stated Red Deer has the highest waits for some health procedures in the province. Many patients are heading to larger centres for medical procedures that should be available in their own region at less expense and inconvenience.
The catheterization lab is particularly sought after. A study released a year ago reported that Central Albertans with heart problems have a 60 per cent higher rate of death or disability than people in Calgary or Edmonton because of long transfer times to be treated elsewhere.
Ceci said the local doctors, as well as Red Deer MLAs Barb Miller and Kim Schreiner, have been “great advocates” for the city’s needs. “They’ve certainly let me know about Red Deer’s requests … and we will try as much as possible to address those …”
Although some people feel Red Deer is being short-changed because of its proximity to Edmonton and Calgary, Ceci said he did not forget Alberta’s third-largest city in the last budget when money was provided for new schools, a Red Deer College expansion, and the Hwy 2 interchange.
Ceci added the NDP government has also been working to help Albertans weather a tough economy. Tax credits, grant programs, infrastructure investments and business incentives were provided to “make sure Albertans didn’t suffer more” from low oil prices, said Ceci, who noted the unemployment rate has fallen to less than six per cent from a previous 10 per cent.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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