Advocates say the Government of Alberta needs to act now amid a dire situation for acute and primary care. (Photo: CHAT News Today)

By Eli J. Ridder

Doctors urge immediate action by the Alberta government to stabilize health care

Aug 9, 2024 | 9:19 AM

A key Alberta doctor advocacy group is calling on the province to move quickly to stabilize emergency rooms and family clinics with fresh funding, amid what they see as a dire situation for acute and primary health care.

Many physicians are suffering with burnout and struggling with financial viability, particularly in rural areas, according to Dr. Paul Parks, president of the Alberta Medical Association (AMA).

“In the past couple months, we had a clear SOS call from many family physicians,” says Parks. He states that those concerns are raised in emergency care departments, too.

It’s a cry for help that comes as doctors wait for the government to implement new models that Parks and his associates have worked on in collaboration with the province.

“We need to do this — and government agrees — so now we need them to act,” Parks said, adding that rural communities are most-deeply impacted by inaction.

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“If we keep losing family physicians from those communities, that’ll mean the hospitals are closed, the emergency [departments] are closed.”

There were 10 temporary emergency department closures due to a lack of physician coverage in Alberta’s south zone in June, July and August.

The AMA brought forward a pair of stabilization proposals in fall 2023.

It was an attempt to raise the alarm, Parks wrote in a recent letter to AMA members, but he claims that the United Conservative government has failed to activate the plans.

He also cited an AMA member survey that found 81 per cent of Alberta physicians say the health care system is getting worse, while 79 per cent say support to physicians for providing care has also deteriorated.

A 2023 advisory report and Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey estimate that 600,000 to 750,000 Albertans do not have a regular health care provider, Parks said.

A spokesperson for Alberta’s health minister Adriana LaGrange acknowledged that challenges exist but said the province is working on solutions.

“We know more needs to be done, which is why we continue to work diligently with the AMA on the family physician new compensation model,” Andrea Smith, the spokesperson, told Pattison Media.

“Of course, Dr. Parks is aware of this work and of our government’s unwavering commitment to ensure Albertans can access a primary care provider,” Smith added in a statement.

“We are confident we will finalize the model with AMA and hope to share those details as soon as we are able.”

The Alberta government has provided additional $157 million this year towards panel management support and transition funding for primary care.

She also pointed to a recent report from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta that said the Alberta has registered nearly 500 more physicians since the second quarter of 2023.

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Parks said he expects the UCP government to finalize funding for the pair of stabilization proposals by September.

The initiatives, designed via a collaborative effort between the province and physicians, would cost about $200 million in new funding each, according to Parks.

In an Aug. 1 letter calling for immediate government action, Parks writes the province has no understanding of the “dire sense of urgency” that doctors are experiencing.

The government maintained Thursday it is in regular contact with Dr. Parks and other doctors across the province.

“Dr. Parks and Minister LaGrange have an open line of communication and speak multiple times on any given week,” Andrea Smith, the spokesperson, said.

“This is in addition to the department-level working groups that are making significant progress on multiple items — including the Acute Care Stabilization Plan.”

Meanwhile, the province is planning to move ahead with a planned reorganization of the health system this fall that will introduce four separate agencies, an approach officials say will better serve Albertans.

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