Elected health boards will not be making a comeback, says Premier Alison Redford.
People working across the health-care system, including front-line staff, have told her that stability is what is needed to provide the most effective care, said Redford, in an interview with the Red Deer Advocate on Thursday.
“We will continue to support one board for the province and to ensure that they are running themselves in a way that is accountable to the government,” she said.
Redford said often people see elected boards as a way to provide local advocacy for health-care projects.
But the provincial government’s role is to oversee investment in infrastructure, education and health care across Alberta.
“That is the responsibility of the provincial government to set in place a capital plan that is good for the entire province, that supports communities right across this province,” she said.
“And it’s important for Albertans to know their MLAs matter in that conversation.”
In Red Deer, that approach led to the new Central Alberta Cancer Centre being built at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. It is expected to be open by next summer.