Alberta public health system losing staff, funding as province increases spending on private facilities

Private surgical facilities in Alberta are starving the public system of staff and funding to perform priority procedures, according to a new report that concludes the province has yet to increase surgical capacity or reduce wait times as pledged.The 20-page analysis, published Wednesday by the Parkland Institute, showed provincial spending on private surgical facilities increased nearly three-fold to $55.8-million in 2023-24 from $20-million in 2019-20. By comparison, spending in public facilities increased marginally.