Alberta’s health minister announced new legislation Tuesday to officiate the split up of Alberta Health Services (AHS) into four different agencies.
The government claims the massive overhaul will increase efficiency without job losses.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says the province’s health authority has taken on too much under one umbrella, and instead four new agencies will be created focusing on specific sectors of health care in the province. Primary care, acute, continuing care, and addictions and mental health.
“Currently the structure is all under AHS, and this really teases out those individuals that are providing those services, and putting them in the organizations so they can focus their efforts in a more concerted area,” LaGrange says.
AHS won’t lose any of its more than 100,000 workers because it’s ultimately the province that signs their paychecks.
“The government of Alberta is the employer,” she says. “Even though they may be residing in AHS right now, it is the government that is the employer.”
The agencies will start in June and be fully set up by the fall.