“These choices are going to be provided by the physician. It’s not a patient deciding whether they’re going to go to Innisfail or Red Deer,” Health Minister Tyler Shandro explained. “This is going to be about what’s available to the physicians for them to be able to make the decisions about where the right facility is for the right procedure.”

Dr. Verna Yiu, AHS President and CEO, highlighted one example where this is already being done.

“If you’re a patient in Red Deer and are needing to have cataract surgery, then it’s pretty well known that cataracts are being done in Innisfail,” she highlighted. “The surgical team goes out to Innisfail, the patient goes out to Innisfail, all the information that’s provided to the patient about where they need to go, and the patient then goes to that facility. There’s really no change.”

The $100 million in capital funding also includes upgrades to 12 operating rooms at Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre, and renovations to operating departments at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.

Officials say the capital investment will help AHS add over 17,000 surgeries this fiscal year, and that up to 30,000 additional surgeries will be available to Albertans by 2023.