In Calgary, the public health system does not perform cataract
operations, instead contracting out the procedure to surgeons at
private clinics such as Gimbel and Mitchell. In recent years, the former Calgary Health Region paid for additional cataract surgeries at the private clinics--beyond the surgeons' regular quota --in a bid to cut waiting lists. But the practice required the health authority, which has since been replaced by the superboard, to spend over its budget.