Edmonton – Today Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky announced the delay of the seniors drug plan rollout and the capital plan for constructing new health care facilities. 

Official Opposition Health critic Kevin Taft says this creates an air of confusion and exemplifies the Stelmach administration’s inability to plan for the future, especially with regard to health care. 

Zwozdesky says that the drug plan will be delayed indefinitely. Taft says Albertans need certainty about this plan. “The time for assessment is done,” Taft says. “Seniors have been waiting for answers for months, and they’ve been expressing their frustration very vocally at our health care town halls. They’re tired of the confusion and uncertainty.

The Health Ministry’s capital plan announcement has been delayed for at least a few weeks. Many municipalities across the province are in need of updates to facilities. Medicine Hat, Calgary and Grande Prairie are all waiting for major renovations or new facilities to provide adequate medical care, mainly for seniors and cancer patients.

“Many of these people can’t wait much longer to get the care they need; these facilities should have been built years ago,” Taft says. “These delays show that the Stelmach administration still doesn’t understand the value of planning for the long term.”

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