NDP plan to reunite Alberta's fractured health system under one ministry

The NDP unveiled its plan Thursday to reverse Alberta's health-care fragmentation by merging the four separate health ministries the UCP created back into one integrated Ministry of Health.

The current structure, which dismantled Alberta Health Services in December, split health care into four "pillars" across different ministries — a move the NDP says has left the system harder to access and less accountable. "Years of UCP chaos, mismanagement, and privatization have left Alberta health-care systems more fragmented, less accountable, and harder to access," said Dr. Luanne Metz, NDP MLA for Calgary-Varsity and chair of the party's health care task force, at Thursday's announcement in Calgary. "Albertans don't experience health care in pieces. They need one connected system."

Under the NDP plan, a reunified ministry would coordinate workforce, infrastructure, and service planning across the province. It would also connect fragmented health information systems so providers can work together more effectively, and better integrate health care with social services. The party says it would work directly with communities to design services reflecting local needs, including Indigenous-led and rural-led approaches to care.

The plan also includes whistleblower protections for health-care workers, a public inquiry into what the NDP describes as corrupt care, and public reporting on wait times and system performance. The NDP says it will protect the Canada Health Act and work against what it characterizes as an American-style, two-tier system where people with money can pay for faster access.

Health workers, the plan states, are being asked to do more with less under the current system. "After years of UCP chaos and confusion, health workers are being asked to do more with less, and it's time to change that," Metz said.

Kyle Campbell, the NDP candidate for the Calgary-Shaw byelection set for September 14, spoke at the announcement about his own experience navigating the fragmented system. Diagnosed with cancer in 2023 as a young father, Campbell said he was caught in the UCP's DynaLIFE privatization scheme and waited six weeks for a blood work appointment that should have taken days. During chemotherapy, his doctor had to call from her personal time off because no one was available to cover her shifts. "I was struggling to stay conscious, unaware that I was fighting for my life, and I was waiting for a bed that should have been available," Campbell said. "No Albertan should have to wonder whether they will get the care they need when they need it."