There are growing concerns the Alberta government's plans for health-care spending, detailed in the latest provincial budget, will do little to address front-line pressures or improve access to care.

Total health spending is expected to hit $24 billion this year, with 3.5 per cent increases planned in each of the following two years, climbing to $25.7 billion by 2027-28.

"We are really struggling in our acute care hospitals," said Dr. Paul Parks, an emergency room physician in Medicine Hat and pa…