Updated December 12, 2022

Physician Recommendations for the 2023 Provincial Government

View the press conference here.

We believe Albertans deserve the best healthcare from their government. The provincial government, elected in 2023, must focus on strengthening the seven key areas below during their four year term. This is a critical time to invest in Albertans and our health system. Our friends, neighbours, and communities are suffering deeply from the pandemic, exacerbated by cuts to and gaps within the system. Our next government must rebuild what was previously a top healthcare system in this country.

The Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association and the Calgary and Area Medical Staff Society established a working group to design and administer a survey to our physician members. The following recommendations for the healthcare platform in the upcoming 2023 provincial election are based on this work and our own members’ priorities.

We are a group of urban physicians from both primary care and speciality care, working in hospitals and the community. We acknowledge that the needs we see in the system may well differ from needs in rural areas. Government is encouraged to consult with a range of physicians, especially those in rural locations, to find innovative solutions for Albertans.

Further, we recognize that some of the greatest contributors to the health and well-being of Albertans are reliable access to affordable and high-quality food, shelter, and education. Addressing these basic needs will not only reduce the burden on the healthcare system but will also lead to healthier people and communities.

  1. Mental Health

    Lack of mental health funding was a serious problem before the pandemic, and the need for care has increased over the last two years. The government must ensure sufficient and timely access to treatment. Supports embedded in the community foster stability and engagement for those suffering from mental health issues which reduces reliance on costly emergency care.

    We recommend the following:

    • Increase funding for and expand coverage of mental health services

    • Improve the delivery of mental health care through increased and varied points of access, such as community-based hubs

    • Increase supports for family physicians to better provide for patients within their

    medical home

  2. Pediatric Mental Health

    Pediatric mental health needs are immense. Supporting the next generation must be a priority.

    We recommend the following:

    • Increase funding and resources for pediatric mental health, including access to care through schools

    • In-school education that provides tools and strategies to improve emotional health

    • Reverse changes to Program Unit Funding, an early learning grant that provides early intervention resources to children with extra healthcare needs

  3. Opioid Poisoning Crisis

    There has been an accelerating rise in deaths due to opioid poisoning and a sharp increase in poisoning incidents leading to Emergency Department visits and costly extended hospital stays over the last two years. This crisis is not being treated for what it is: a toxic supply. The focus should be on reducing harm and promoting safer supply, along with other evidence-based prevention and treatment measures. To reduce mortality and lower costs, we recommend the following:

    • Increased and transparent funding for, and expansion of, evidence-based addictions care and treatment programs

    • Address the opioid crisis by including evidence-based harm reduction strategies to prevent opioid poisonings and deaths

  4. Reproductive Health

    All Albertans should have reliable access to local care for their reproductive health needs, including contraception, fertility management, STI screening, and all pregnancy-related treatments. Cost and travel should not be barriers to bodily autonomy and equitable access to a standard level of care. We recommend the following:

    • Initiate a provincial strategy to expand reproductive services with a focus on local and rural access

    • Provide free contraception

  5. Relationships

    Effective healthcare systems require a collaborative relationship between healthcare professionals and the government. Our members support implementation of the following:

    • Establishment of a transparent process for physicians to engage with government in good faith negotiations, including a bona fide mechanism for conflict resolution

    • Increased physician-government collaboration

    • Reinstatement of good faith billing. Good faith billing is the government providing health care for Canadian citizens who do not currently have a valid Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan

  6. Independence

    Strong public health policy requires that the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health be at an arm’s length from the government: shielded from political influence. We recommend the following:

    • Ensuring the independence of the Chief Medical Officer of Health from the Health Minister and Premier

  7. Health Resource Needs

    Albertans have crumbling and understaffed hospitals; ERs that are too small, understaffed, or closed; too few family doctors; unreasonable wait times for surgery; expensive and inadequate options for virtual health care; and inadequate options for long term care, which resulted in needless deaths of older Albertans throughout COVID-19. The healthcare infrastructure in Alberta, both facilities and personnel, needs a tremendous overhaul to better meet the needs of Albertans while improving sustainability. We recommend the following:

    • Develop innovations that improve transitions between hospital, medical home, palliative care, and pre- and post-surgical care

    • Create strategies to allow aging in place and access to home-based palliative care services

    • Increase per capita Primary Care Network funding to be used for direct patient care, as it has not been adjusted for inflation since 2013

    • Deliver home care and long-term care through public facilities rather than via for-profit facilities to improve quality of care and reduce costs

    • Eliminate Alberta Health funding of for-profit corporations to provide virtual telehealth services

    • Increase and redistribute physician training spots among specialties to prepare for the projected needs of the population

    • Build new hospital facilities to replace the deteriorating and inadequate hospitals, such as the Misericordia Community Hospital

    • Build new publicly delivered long-term care facilities to provide better care for the aging population and reduce pressure on hospitals and emergency departments

    • Consolidate Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health to ensure equitable patient care and avoid duplication of administration systems