Construction is starting on a new chartered surgical facility on Enoch Cree Nation that will increase publicly funded surgeries and reduce wait times.
The new facility is expected to open by June 2025 and will offer about 3,000 more publicly funded orthopedic surgeries per year, reducing wait times for Albertans.
According to Alberta Health Services, when a surgeon decides a patient needs surgery, AHS then schedules the surgery and determines whether the patient will have the publicly funded surgery at a hospital or a chartered surgical facility based on several factors, including the type of surgery.
Enoch Cree Nation Chief Cody Thomas said with the wait times Alberta is currently facing for surgeries, something needed to be done
According to Chief Thomas, Enoch will pay for and own the building, which will include other medical facilities, at a cost of up to $50 million.
AHS performed a total of 292,500 surgeries in 2022-23 and Alberta’s budget includes an $80-million increase, aimed at performing 20,000 more.
In April, Enoch and Alberta agreed to build a $30-million addictions treatment centre in the First Nation, which is expected to be open as soon as next year.
“This partnership is an example of reconciliation in action. Maskêkosihk is supporting the Alberta Surgical Initiative to bring additional capacity to Treaty 6 territory, address surgical wait lists for all Albertans, and ensure that the medical care we deliver together is done so in a way that respects all cultures, including First Nations people who have made this land their home for thousands of years.”
