B.C. and Alberta have signed a new partnership that will allow patients living in border regions, such as the East Kootenay, to access scheduled surgeries in Alberta.
The deal between provinces took effect on March 1.
“This partnership between our two provinces showcases how interconnected our communities are,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, in a statement.
“This is great news, especially for people living close to the Alberta border, who will now be able to access surgical care closer to home. We are grateful to our neighbours in Alberta and look forward to working together to strengthen health care access in our province.”
The province is recommending that B.C.-based patients speak to their primary care provider to learn more about having a scheduled surgery done in Alberta.
B.C. patients will require an Alberta physician to accept them for consultation and care as part of the referral process.
“Alberta is proud to renew this partnership with British Columbia to help ensure patients living near our shared border can access timely surgical care, closer to home,” said Matt Jones, Alberta Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services. “By working together, Alberta and British Columbia are putting patients first by streamlining the patient journey and expanding surgical access.”
According to the announcement’s news release, a temporary restriction on scheduled surgeries for out-of-province patients was enacted in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those living in border communities in the southeastern corner of the province, such as Cranbrook, Kimberley and Fernie, the lack of access to specialized health care and services in Alberta has been a long-running issue.
“Collaboration across provinces means more people can receive the surgeries and support they need without facing long travel or delays,” said Brittny Anderson, MLA for Kootenay Central, in a statement. “This partnership ensures patients get timely treatment while making the most of the resources available in Alberta and B.C., and I’m grateful for our ability to work together to help people access care when they need it.”
Federally, the Canada Health Act guarantees that Canadians have the right to receive publicly insured health services.
However, while the portability criterion of the act requires that out-of-province patients receive urgent or emergent care, it does not require a health care provider outside British Columbia to accept their health care insurance card as prepayment, or to provide them with non-urgent services.
In essence, the Canada Health Act cannot compel provinces to provide non-urgent care to out-of-province residents and provinces are not obligated to offer non-urgent services to out-of-province residents.