Alberta announces plan to add 1K hospital beds, boost surgeries; critics say plan lacks action and transparency

Danielle Smith announced an expansion in hospital beds and surgeries Friday

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a new plan to add more than 1,000 hospital beds and deliver 50,000 additional surgeries will ease pressure across the health-care system, while critics argue the announcement lacks clear timelines, workforce planning and transparency.

Smith made the announcement in Calgary Friday alongside Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones, Assisted Living and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon and Mental Health and Addiction Minister Rick Wilson.

The government says the plan is intended to improve patient flow, reduce bottlenecks and connect care across emergency, surgical, inpatient and community supports.

The announcement includes capital planning for new acute care bed towers at the Grey Nuns and Misericordia hospitals in Edmonton and the South Health Campus in Calgary.

“Our frontline health care teams have been working under extraordinary pressure, and I want to thank them for their unwavering service,” Smith said in a news release.

“The acute care action plan delivers immediate relief in our hospitals and builds long-term stability, ensuring Albertans see faster service, increased access and a health system they can count on for years to come.”

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Officials say the additions will help ease pressure in urban hospitals and support patients with complex or serious medical needs.

The province also says it will increase the number of surgeries by leveraging chartered surgical facilities to expand operating room capacity over the next three years.

Targeted investments at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital are expected to improve triage and speed up patient movement, while 12 new psychiatric beds — along with 30 temporary beds being made permanent — will expand community-based capacity for Albertans in crisis.

Nixon said expanding continuing care spaces remains a priority so patients can move out of hospitals faster, easing demand in emergency departments.

“Acute care is only one part of the system — it has to work hand in hand with community and continuing care,” he said.

“That’s why we’re strengthening those connections, so patients can move seamlessly through every stage of care and get the right support in the right place.”

The province is also developing a strategy for neonatal intensive care and says longer-term work includes modernizing ambulance services, redesigning discharge practices, expanding primary and urgent care, and crafting a 50-year capital strategy for new hospitals and clinics.

According to the province, 318,920 surgeries were completed in 2024-25, exceeding its previous target. Alberta currently has 8,764 acute care beds and says physician growth now outpaces population growth.

‘A lot of rhetoric’

Chris Galloway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, said Albertans have made it clear they are struggling to access the care they need, and argued that Friday’s announcement does little to address those concerns.

“What we saw today was an action plan that didn’t have a lot of action,” he said.

“There was a lot of words, there was a lot of rhetoric, but there wasn’t much tangible. There weren’t timelines, there wasn’t clear goals.”

Galloway said he believes the plan “felt like an exercise in the UCP wanting to push forward with more privatization,” pointing to the expansion of chartered surgical facilities.

“What we should be hearing from the government is a plan for a public inquiry, full transparency and accountability on the contracts we’ve already signed, not a plan to rapidly grow these private contracts.”

He also criticized the absence of measures aimed at addressing staffing shortages.

“There was nothing in there to address workforce planning.”

“What we needed for a long time is a capacity plan and a workforce plan for healthcare so that we can address access to care. We didn’t see that.”

Galloway added that health-care workers remain burned out and “unsure who their employer is going to be” or how ongoing restructuring will affect them.

He also touched on the facility closures across the province which show deeper system strain.

“When you look at the closure map today, there’s 26 facilities across the province experiencing emergency room or obstetrics or other facility closures,” said Galloway. .

“Building a few beds in Edmonton and Calgary doesn’t solve the staffing crisis that we’re in.”

Galloway said key questions remain unanswered.

“When will the beds be built? Is there a plan to staff them? None of this is in the budget that they passed,” he said.

“Whenever we hear a capital announcement now, we say, what staff are you going to add to actually operate this infrastructure, and we’re not hearing answers to that.”

‘Absolute disaster’: Alberta NDP

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the government’s broader health-care restructuring has added confusion instead of improving access.

“It’s an absolute disaster in every way,” he said. “It has led to unbelievable chaos within organizations. I cannot go to a doctor’s appointment now without hearing complaints.”

Nenshi notes that the creation of multiple new health providers and administrative layers is also making the system harder to navigate.

“We went from a system with one health provider to a system with nine or 10 health providers,” he said.

“They’ve had to create a new organization called the Integration Council to try and make the other nine work together. It’s ridiculous.”

Nenshi went on to say that that the government’s promise to fix the system within months has not materialized.

“It’s been a thousand days in (and) health care has never been worse,” he said.

The NDP leader said his party is developing its own plan for a redesigned health-care system through consultation led by MLA and neurologist Dr. Luanne Metz.

“She is spending a year talking to people in every part of Alberta to develop a blueprint for a health care system that will actually work,” Nenshi said.