By Chris Brown

Health money

Provincial government trumpets ‘historic’ health spending in budget

Mar 2, 2021 | 12:13 PM

Premier Jason Kenney this morning highlighted his United Conservative government’s “historic” investment in health care that will be made if last week’s budget is passed in the legislature.

If passed the overall health-care budget will receive an increase of $900 million and $1.25 billion set aside as a COVID contingency fund to address pandemic health-care costs.

“Albertans have told us that their number one priority is fighting COVID-19 and Alberta’s government has responded with the single largest-ever health-care investment for one year in Alberta’s history,” said Kenney.

The government says it is likely that the $1.25-billion contingency funding will be focused on priorities such as acute care, continuing care, testing and assessment centres, contact tracing, surgical backlog caused by the pandemic, personal protective equipment, vaccine deployment and supports to shelters and vulnerable Albertans.

The funding in the budget is on top of the $2 billion in emergency pandemic spending last year, which included investment in mental health supports and free hotel rooms for quarantine needs.

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“Since day one, we’ve said that we’ll spend whatever is necessary to ensure that the health system has the resources that it needs to care for and to protect Albertans, especially the vulnerable,” said Kenney. “Budget 21 follows through on that commitment. It strikes a thoughtful balance between investing in health care to protect lives throughout the pandemic while investing in protecting livelihoods, preparing us for the recovery that will accelerate once mass immunization is complete.”

Kenney said investments – $3.5 billion over the next three years –continue into key health capital projects such as modernizing health-care infrastructure and expanding hospitals across the province.

Alberta Health Services president and CEO Verna Yiu said Budget 2021 “gives the health-care system the resources that we need to finish this fight as well as help us gain ground once we’re able to focus completely on recovery.”

Health Minister Tyler Shandro said the vaccination rollout will continue in a phased approach.

All Albertans 75 and older are eligible to be vaccinated and Shandro said more than half of them have booked appointments.

Plans are being put in place to ramp up vaccinations as supply from the federal government increases.

“We will be ready to deliver as many as 250,000 doses a week by the end of March,” said the health minister.

Shandro said Alberta is considering delaying the second dose of vaccines in order to get every Albertan who wants the vaccine their first dose as early as possible.

B.C. announced a similar plan this week.