AHS Dr. Verna Yiu

Alberta Health Services announced in a news release Monday morning the departure of Dr. Verna Yiu as CEO and president of the health authority.

She looked professional, she had the numbers at her fingertips and seemed to be a very strong communicator.” “The AHS board has been planning for some time to start the recruitment process for a new CEO at the end of Dr. Yiu’s extended term. “We promised Albertans better access to surgery and a stronger publicly funded health system with better access overall. It’s clear to me that Dr. Yiu put health and well-being of Albertans first during an unprecedented health crisis.” “I have had the extraordinary privilege to lead Alberta Health Services for the past six plus years,” Yiu said in a news release. “I took on this role in 2016 because I saw an opportunity to further solidify culture, teamwork, and excellence within the organization.

The AHS board announced Yiu as the interim president and CEO in 2016 before extending her role for another two years effective June 2, 2021. CTV News has ...

"All Albertans witnessed her leadership during the COVID pandemic as a champion of public health measures and a passionate proponent of vaccine acceptance. "We promised Albertans better access to surgery and a stronger publicly funded health system with better access overall. "Dr. Yiu has been a strong partner and supporter of quality patient care in good days and also when times were more difficult. They're multi-year commitments and we need to move forward on them, supported by renewed leadership at AHS." "I believed that we could develop better relationships with our patients and families, and with Alberta communities. "Their decision to fire Dr. Verna Yiu comes at a critical time for our province and for public health care in general," said Shepherd.

The Alberta Health Services Board has announced the departure of Dr. Verna Yiu and the launch of a search proc...

“Today, the UCP has pushed public healthcare in Alberta even deeper into chaos,” said David Shepherd, NDP Critic for Health. “The UCP’s firing of Dr. Verna Yiu comes at a critical time for our province and for public healthcare in general. The least the government could do is show some accountability and transparency when it comes to the leadership of our vital public health care system.” “The AHS board has been planning for some time to start the recruitment process for a new CEO at the end of Dr. Yiu’s extended term. There has always been a plan to transition leadership, and on behalf of the Board, we thank Dr. Yiu, her leadership team, and every AHS employee.” “We promised Albertans better access to surgery and a stronger publicly funded health system with better access overall. AHS officials say the Board will appoint an interim President and CEO shortly to ensure the organization has leadership and stability.

EDMONTON - The CEO of Alberta Health Services is out of the top job more than a year before her contract was set to expire.

The contract was then extended to June 2023. Prior to joining AHS, she had been interim dean of the faculty of medicine and dentistry at the University of Alberta. In a statement, she applauded her staff for their tireless care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, but didn’t speak to her contract ending prematurely. Yiu had been in the top job for six years, at a salary of more than $574,000 a year. Copping previously announced a plan to expand the number of publicly funded surgeries contracted to private providers to increase access to care and reduce wait-lists. The departure of Dr. Verna Yiu was announced Monday, effect immediately, ending a contract that was to run until June 2023.