Functional responsibility:
The Department was responsible for the planning, supervision, funding and monitoring of Alberta active treatment and auxiliary hospitals and providing operating funds for nursing homes. The Department was also responsible for the administration of the province's three medical benefits plans, the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan, the Alberta Hospitalization Benefits Plan, and the Alberta Nursing Home Plan. In 1982, the Department became responsible for the administration and operation of the province's two psychiatric hospitals and their auxiliary care centres.

The Minister was responsible for the administration of the following acts:

Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Act (1983-1988)
Alberta Hospital Association Act
Cancer Programs Act
Cancer Treatment and Prevention Act
Department of Hospitals and Medical Care Act
Health Care Insurance Act
Health Care Insurance Premiums Act
Health Insurance Premiums Act
Health Facilities Review Committee Act
Hospital Debt Retirement Act
Hospital Services Commission Act
Hospital Visitors Committee Act
Hospitals Act
Human Tissue Gift Act
Lloydminster Hospital Act
Medical Profession Act (1981-1988)
Nursing Homes Act
Nursing Profession Act
Optometry Profession Act
Physical Therapy Profession Act
Provincial General Hospitals Act
Registered Dieticians Act
University of Alberta Hospital Act
University Hospitals Foundation Act

Predecessor and successor bodies:
The Department was preceded by the Hospital Services Commission and the Health Care Insurance Commission, under the Minister of Social Services and Community Health. In 1975, these agencies were transferred to the Minister of Hospitals and Medical Care and for two and a half years made up the administrative structure of the Department. The Department was succeeded in 1988 by the re-established Department of Health.

Administrative relationships:
The Department reported to the Legislative Assembly through the Minister of Hospitals and Medical Care. A number of semi-independent agencies reported either to the Minister or through him to the Legislative Assembly. These agencies included the Health Care Insurance Commission, Hospital Services Commission, Alberta Health Facilities Review Committee, and Alberta Cancer Board.

Administrative structure:
At the time that the Department was first created in 1975, it was made up of the Hospital Services Commission and the Health Care Insurance Commission. When an integrated administrative structure for the Department was created effective January 1, 1978, these two Commissions lost their semi-independent status and became Divisions of a centrally-administered government department. During 1987, the principal components of the Department were two divisions which were made up of the administrative structures of the former Hospital Services Commission and Health Care Insurance Commission. In essence, the Commissions simply changed their legal status from that of semi-independent agencies reporting directly to the Minister to that of divisions of a department. The structure of the Department for its first year of operations was as follows:

1. Hospitals Planning and Operations Division: the former Hospital Services Commission
2. Information, Systems and Evaluation Division: responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing information used by the department, including registration and claims processing for health care plans and program evaluation
3. Financial Planning and Control Division: responsible for operational and capital budget development and financial management control
4. Health Insurance Program Division: the former Health Care Insurance Commission

1. Hospital Services Division: responsible for design and construction of hospitals and hospital expansion, operation of the province's emergency air ambulance service, program planning for programs and services offered at hospitals and oversight of the operation of health care facilities and nursing homes
2. Health Care Insurance Division: responsible for the operation and administration of the province's health care insurance and benefits plans, including processing claims, registration of plan participants and service providers, and the Department's systems and data processing
3. Finance and Administration Division: responsible for all system budgeting, department finance and administration, budget coordination for all funded facilities, internal audit, and public communications
4. Policy Development Division: responsible for collecting and analyzing data used in support of policy and hospital system development, hospital program review and evaluation, coordinating research projects, and conducting research in support of planning and policy development

Names of chief officers:
Ministers of Hospitals and Medical Care:
Gordon T.W. Miniely (1975-1979)
David J. Russell (1979-1986)
Marvin E. Moore (1986-1988)

• management and administration of hospital care programs
• planning and oversight of hospital construction and expansion of hospital facilities
• oversight of hospital administration and inspection of facilities
• administration of health care insurance programs
• planning of manpower needs for various health care professions and occupations
• provision of emergency air ambulance services
• disaster planning in regards to provincial health care facilities
• administration of research programs funded by the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund

1. Alberta Hospital Services Commission sous-fonds from 1946 to 1970;
2. Alberta Health Care Insurance Commission sous-fonds from 1967 to 1974

1. Emergency air and ground ambulance records
2. Emergency health services administrative records
3. Health Care Insurance Commission registration forms
4. Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund research project administration records
5. Departmental committee records
6. Department administrative records