The Medicine Hat General Hospital served the community from 1890-1960 (Photo courtesy of Esplanade Archives)

By Scott Roblin

130th Anniversary

Hospital service in Medicine Hat celebrating 130 years of history

Jan 29, 2020 | 5:38 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It sits as a humble parking lot along River Road SE in ‘The Flats,’ but it’s here where health care in Medicine Hat was truly born.

Settled along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River, the Medicine Hat General Hospital was the first of its kind of the Prairies.

“People from all over the region were coming into Medicine Hat seeking out medical care and there just wasn’t the facilities available,” said Medicine Hat archivist Philip Pype.

A special milestone is being celebrated this week in the city, as it’s the 130^th anniversary of the first patients walking through the front doors of the hospital in 1890.

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It also marks 130 years of continuous health care service being provided by local hospitals, something that senior operating officer for AHS’ South Zone takes pride in.

“It’s pretty humbling and it’s very exciting to actually look back and be part of such a historic history, and the legacy that started in 1889 when the building was being built,” said Linda Iwasiw.

The Medicine Hat General Hospital was just the third hospital at the time to be built in western Canada and was the only hospital located between Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Helping to heal people from all corners of the Prairies, Pype said the opening of the hospital was a monumental step forward for the community of 2,000 residents.

“It was an opportunity for Medicine Hat to show that it was an up and coming town and that it was a town worth investing in,” he said.

The first book of patients is still housed in the Medicine Hat archives, along with the list of donors who helped build the facility from the ground up.

Spearheaded by CP Rail superintendent John Niblock, the hospital was constructed thanks to $21,000 in donations in the late 1880s.

A charitable spirit that still continues today according to Medicine Hat & District Health Foundation executive director Heather Bach.

“It was built by volunteers with completely donated materials,” said Bach. “So, charity and volunteerism has been part of our hospital since the very beginning.”

The Medicine Hat General Hospital was torn down in 1960 after seven decades of use, two years after the current Medicine Hat Regional Hospital was constructed off the Trans-Canada Highway.

Built in a time where patients would often arrive by horse, the General Hospital served its purpose according to Pype.

“It served the community for almost 70 years, which is quite substantial for a building that started in a town of 2,000 and supported a growing city for so long,” said Pype.

Over the decades, medical science and technology has improved by leaps and bounds with new equipment and instruments becoming available for doctors and nurses.

When it comes to the care given though, Iwasiw said that’s something that hasn’t changed.

“The culture and the caring of the individuals has always stayed the same,” she said. “The main purpose, for the most part, of why people go into health care has remained the same. Of course, what’s changed are our buildings, our technology, our equipment.”

The Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has seen many improvements over the last few years including a revamped emergency entrance and heath care officials don’t expect that innovation to end anytime soon.

“It’s with extreme pride that we all look back to what has been accomplished,” said Iwasiw. “And, we look to the future in terms of the opportunities, that we collectively within Alberta and within Medicine Hat and area, will be able to continue to provide.”