Cancer care, other services, to move under Acute Care umbrella
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on April 9, 2025.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
Several services including cancer care are being moved by the provincial government from the auspices of Alberta Health Services to the purview of its Acute Care Alberta health agency.
Also being transferred are organ and tissue donations and transplants.
In a Tuesday statement, the province said creating specialized focus for these services “will ensure the best care in these key areas that are important for a high-functioning health care system.”
The move will allow Cancer Care Alberta to focus entirely on “providing timely, cutting-edge treatment and services for those with cancer,” that organization which will have enhanced oversight and responsibility for managing it workforce as well as capital and operational funding related to cancer care, says the province. A process will also be established to handle complaints.
Half of all Albertans, says the government, will get cancer and a recently announced eight-year investment of $800 million in a partnership with Siemens Healthineers and Alberta Cancer Foundation will help to update and replace oncology treatment equipment, leverage artificial intelligence, establish a medical research fund to attract and retain global talent and create two centres of excellence in cancer care. Siemens Healthineers is a multinational company that specializes in medical technology.
The government also says hundreds of Albertans every year receive either an organ or tissue transplant and “having policy and oversight for organ and tissue donation and transplantation under Acute Care Alberta will streamline current processes, allowing for a dedicated plan, program development and vision for these critical life-saving services.” It says clinical services will remain with AHS.
8-7
half of all albertans will get cancer? seems a very, very high stat. still, seems absurd that we spend so much money and other resources battling cancer, rather than working to prevent it. but, as is always the case with our madness, we seem to prefer marketing and economy and “cheap” and dumb approaches to life rather than wise and sustainable and healthy ones.