The Alberta government will restructure healthcare delivery in the province in a comprehensive reform process promised by Premier Danielle Smith that will help resolve capacity issues caused by the flawed system.

These changes will dismantle the single-provider model and distribute the responsibilities of Alberta Health Services (AHS) among a few new organizations.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Smith announced countless structural changes that will change how health services are delivered to Albertans.

Four new organizations will also deliver health services in the areas of primary care, acute care, continuing care, mental health, and addiction care.

Under the new structure, the primary focus of health services in Alberta will be acute care and continuing care. The province said in a press release that other AHS delivery functions will be transferred to new organizations.

It also said the Alberta health system is not working the way it should and the way Albertans deserve, and fixing it is critical to improving the quality of life for Albertans.

Improvements must start with health services in Alberta, the largest integrated provincial health system in the country. While all Albertans can and should be proud of our frontline professionals, the structure behind them does not enable their success.

Last year, Smith fired the AHS board and replaced it with a single official.

As outlined in leaked ministerial briefing documents released on Tuesday, the province plans to coordinate a comprehensive reform of the AHS system, with documents indicating the changes will affect an estimated 250,000 workers.