Alberta Partners with Canada’s New Government to Reduce Wait Times.

April 10, 2007

Today in Edmonton, Minister of Health Tony Clement and Alberta Minister of Health Dave Hancock announced the details of Alberta’s wait times agreement with the federal government.

Alberta has agreed to establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee in radiation therapy by 2010, to be supported by $62 million in Budget 2007 funding.

Today’s announcement is one of thirteen agreements signed between Canada’s New Government and the provinces and territories to cut down wait times for key medical procedures.

Under the previous Liberal government, wait times nearly doubled in Canada.

Today, patient wait times have reversed direction and are finally getting shorter instead of longer.

Budget 2007 provides over $1 billion in funding to help provinces implement patient wait times guarantees:

• $612 million will go toward direct financial support to the provinces through the Patient Wait Times Guarantee Trust; and

• $400 million will go toward the Canada Health Infoway to support the development of electronic health records, improve quality of care and reduce errors.

Canada’s New Government is committed to improving health services to build a stronger, safer, better Canada.