This release was issued under a previous government.

Budget 2016 - Health Care

The 2016 capital plan includes $759.5 million for maintenance and renewal of the province’s health-care facilities over the next five years, as part of Alberta’s Infrastructure Maintenance Program. This represents an overall increase of about $107 million -- or roughly 16 per cent -- over last year’s capital plan.

“We won’t repeat the mistakes of past governments that allowed our health infrastructure deficit to grow unchecked. While it’s not flashy, funding health facility maintenance and renewal is crucial to helping to create safe environments for patients, their families and the health workers who take care of them. In this tough economy, these projects also help to create and sustain good jobs for Albertans.”

Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health

Over the current 2016-17 fiscal year, the Alberta government will direct $131 million towards more than 520 health-facility maintanence and renewal projects across the province.

Funding for health-facility maintenance and renewal will increase over each of the next four years as follows:

  • 2017-18 - $143.5 million
  • 2018-19 - $146 million
  • 2019-20 - $154 million
  • 2020-21 - $185 million

“For far too long, not enough emphasis has been placed on ensuring that our health facilities are properly maintained. Budget 2016 changes that with a significant investment over the next five years to address the backlog in deferred maintenance and to ensure that Alberta’s health facilities continue to provide a safe, high quality care environment for patients, staff and visitors.”

Brian Mason, Minister of Infrastructure

Funding from the Infrastructure Maintenance Program is used to improve the physical condition of health facilities and reduce deferred maintenance in health facilities throughout the province. Alberta Health Services uses funding from the program to address their indentified priority projects.

Last year, Alberta Health Services spent $87 million on 458 health-facility maintenance and renewal projects.