Photo credit: AHS

By Curtis Galbraith

After Emergency Room Closures

MLA Loewen wants Health Minister to answer questions on Fairview doctor shortage

May 29, 2021 | 7:00 AM

The MLA for Central Peace-Notley says doctor shortages are an issue that keeps coming up in his constituency.

The emergency rooms at both the Fairview Health Complex and the Sacred Heart Community Health Centre have had to both close multiple times in recent days as there were no doctors available.

Todd Loewen has written to Health Minister Tyler Shandro asking how many doctors the health ministry thinks those communities need and when that ideal number might be reached.

“Obviously, we’re short of doctors in much of rural Alberta, especially the smaller communities,” Loewen told EverythingGP. “When we’re short already, when they take time off or things come up, (which) they have to do, we rely on locums which are temporary doctors that come take their place.

“Obviously, AHS has not been able to provide the locum coverage we need.”

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Loewen says Fairview had five doctors in 2019. It now has three, with one working part-time and getting close to retirement age.

He adds AHS would have a recommended number of doctors that are needed. He thinks knowing this would be “part of proper planning.”

“If there’s an issue and there’s a shortage, then we need to have a plan to get through that portion and get things back on track,” said Loewen.

“That’s what I’d really like to know is ‘okay, we know we have a shortage, let’s figure out the number needed and find a timeline that we can accomplish that’.”

Loewen says rural hospitals serve many communities in the surrounding area, some of which are an hour-and-half drive from Fairview already and having to go to Peace River or Grande Prairie for care would add another hour or more to their travelling time.