The money will go towards upgrades to 12 operating rooms at Foothills hospital in Calgary, and low-risk surgeries will be moved out of the hospital and offered in Canmore, High River and independent surgical facilities in Calgary, according to a news release.
The funding also includes renovations to operating departments at the Rocky Mountain House Health Centre, along with renovations at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.
For the south zone, the plan is combine two smaller operating rooms into a larger space for complex surgeries at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.
Renovations to the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital were also announced. A Spokesperson with Alberta Health says an estimated $2.2 million will go towards renovations to the pre-admission clinic. A start date for the project is not yet known.
Shandro says the investment will allow Albertans to get the care they need closer to home.
“All these efforts will help us to reach our goals to provide 17,000 surgeries this fiscal year, and 80,000 new surgeries in the next 3 years,” he said.
