Alberta’s health care system is being crushed by demand for its services, according to physicians across the province, with children waiting for cancer treatment, hospital wards overflowing and prenatal appointments delayed.
Alika Lafontaine, a physician in Grande Prairie who until earlier this year was president of the Canadian Medical Association, said Alberta’s situation mirrors that in other health care systems across the country.
Asked whether hospitals are in worse shape than they were at the height of COVID-19, Dr. Lafontaine said the system is less resilient after going through repeated cycles of stress without fixes for underlying problems.
The government recently announced that nurse practitioners will be able to set up their own publicly funded clinics – a decision that drew outrage from some physicians, who said it devalued their work.
Patients had to be double bunked, which caused what he described as “pure gridlock.” Health care facilities in the Edmonton area have been operating under a disaster plan for about six weeks.
Kerry Williamson, an Alberta Health Services spokesperson, confirmed that a small number of children with cancer in Edmonton had to wait to start chemotherapy, but are now receiving treatment.
The original article contains 1,067 words, the summary contains 192 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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Alberta’s health care system is being crushed by demand for its services, according to physicians across the province, with children waiting for cancer treatment, hospital wards overflowing and prenatal appointments delayed.
Alika Lafontaine, a physician in Grande Prairie who until earlier this year was president of the Canadian Medical Association, said Alberta’s situation mirrors that in other health care systems across the country.
Asked whether hospitals are in worse shape than they were at the height of COVID-19, Dr. Lafontaine said the system is less resilient after going through repeated cycles of stress without fixes for underlying problems.
The government recently announced that nurse practitioners will be able to set up their own publicly funded clinics – a decision that drew outrage from some physicians, who said it devalued their work.
Patients had to be double bunked, which caused what he described as “pure gridlock.” Health care facilities in the Edmonton area have been operating under a disaster plan for about six weeks.
Kerry Williamson, an Alberta Health Services spokesperson, confirmed that a small number of children with cancer in Edmonton had to wait to start chemotherapy, but are now receiving treatment.
The original article contains 1,067 words, the summary contains 192 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!