Alberta's health system in 'chaos' as restructuring continues, says doctor
More than 16,000 AHS workers have moved to 4 new agencies, province says
Nearly two years after the Alberta government announced its sweeping plans to restructure health care in the province, the transformation continues and some health workers say they're still struggling to keep up with demand on the frontlines.
According to the Alberta government, more than 16,000 Alberta Health Services staff members have been transferred to four new health agencies (Acute Care Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Recovery Alberta and Assisted Living Alberta) since the reorganization was announced in November 2023.
But the changes don't stop there.
Five health zones have yet to be replaced by seven health corridors.
Several additional organizations will be created later this year to oversee cancer care, organ donation and transplant care and emergency services.
And details remain limited after Premier Danielle Smith announced plans, last month, to decentralize decision-making power and move it down to the hospital level.
"It is pure chaos," said Dr. Paul Parks, past president of the Alberta Medical Association.
"The leaders from middle management up to the top all the way to frontlines have no clue what's going on."
Parks, who works as an emergency room physician in Medicine Hat, said key decisions aren't being made and he worries about patient care.
"When we ask for the plan and say what is the plan, what is the change management plan ... where are we going? What is the roadmap, there is none. Zero," he said.
"It's impacting our ability to provide safe and timely care to Albertans."
Parks points to recent concerns, raised by other physicians, about patients leaving emergency rooms before receiving care due to long wait times, as one example. The provincial government has pushed back against some of those claims.
"As the chaos continues ... our manpower is a challenge. We constantly don't have enough people on the frontlines. Leadership doesn't know if they're going to have a job in the next week or two and be able to make decisions that would impact [this]," said Parks.
He's also concerned about coordination among the new agencies.
Heather Smith, president of the United Nurses of Alberta, said in some hospitals several organizations are operating under one roof.
She describes the entire restructuring as "destabilizing."
"Most health-care workers will focus on the job they have to do today — their shift — and try to deal with the absence of the resources they've needed because of a lack of investment," said Smith.
"But, the big planning in terms of how this is all going to work? Scary."
More than 16,000 health workers impacted
According to the Alberta government, more than 10,000 AHS employees moved to Recovery Alberta in September 2024.
Between February and April, 5,660 staff members moved to Primary Care Alberta. Another 425 positions moved to Acute Care Alberta in early April and 90 transferred to Assisted Living Alberta on July 1.
"While the government is blowing apart Alberta Health Services, not investing in it, health-care workers are just trying to navigate their way through on a day-to-day basis and wait for the next political decision about who will employ them," said Smith.
So far, about 6,000 nurses have been impacted, according to Smith.
AHS, once a single health authority, is being dismantled and will be relegated to the role of hospital care provider alongside other organizations such as Covenant Health.
"At this point there is no real divergence in terms of policies and activities. But, I think that as each of these new employer entities strives to make its mark, that may change," she said.
According to Smith, nurses' paycheques are still coming from AHS. She doesn't expect that to change until January 2026.
Health access improving, government says
The Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services said more staff transfers are coming and that movement is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
The three additional agencies, overseeing cancer care, transplant care and emergency services, will be launched later this year as well, the government said.
"A clear, phased plan is guiding how the system will operate," an official with the ministry said in an email, adding that information is being shared.
"Each of the four new provincial health agencies (PHAs) — including Acute Care Alberta — has a defined mandate and is responsible for planning and delivering services within its sector, with oversight and strategic direction provided by the corresponding ministries."
Acute Care Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Recovery Alberta and Assisted Living Alberta each fall under a different ministry and an integration council has been set up.
"Its role is to promote alignment, improve care transitions, and ensure consistent service delivery. The Government of Alberta, PHAs, and Alberta Health Services are also working together to finalize operational structures, integration processes, and decision-making tools to ensure the system functions cohesively," the statement said.
"Transformation of this scale takes time, but progress is well underway."
Alberta is also moving from five health zones to seven regional corridors and work is happening to set those up and integrate them as well, the statement said.
Meanwhile the Alberta government insists the health system is improving. For example, it said 318, 601 surgeries were completed in the 2024-25 fiscal year, the highest number on record and surpassing the government's target. The number of nurses and physicians is also increasing, it said
According to provincial data, in May 2025, 41.8 per cent of patients were waiting longer than recommended for surgery compared to 36.6 per cent during May 2024.
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