EDMONTON, AB: Albertans are waiting months longer for key surgeries and the NDP government must explain their mismanagement of the province’s health care system, United Conservatives said today.
According to the new Alberta Health Services annual report, since the NDP formed government:
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Open heart surgery wait times increased by nearly 50 per cent, from 14.9 weeks to 22.2 weeks.
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Cataract surgery wait times increased by nearly 30 per cent, from 29.9 weeks to 38.4 weeks.
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Hip replacement wait times increased by nearly 30 per cent, from 28.7 weeks to 36.7 weeks.
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Knee replacement wait times increased by 23 per cent, from 33 weeks to 40.7 weeks.
“Under the NDP, Albertans are paying more to get less,” said Tany Yao, United Conservative Health Critic. “This government must explain why wait times have continually increased despite increases in funding – this mismanagement simply cannot continue.”
Earlier this year in the Legislature, United Conservative leader Jason Kenney repeatedly raised the issue of increasing wait times for surgeries under this NDP government but received no clear answer to account for these continuously deteriorating outcomes.
“While the NDP spends its time fear-mongering about the United Conservatives on health care, the reality facing Albertans is that they are now waiting several months longer for important surgeries without any explanation from the NDP government,” said Yao.
