NDP Leader Rachel Notley speaks about the closure of the Medicine Hat maternity clinic in the city today. (CHAT News Photo/Ross Lavigne)

By Alex McCuaig

'frantic effort to issue manage'

Notley calls out government on city maternity clinic

Oct 29, 2020 | 2:12 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Alberta Health Services announced the city’s maternity clinic will remain open for an additional three months in a statement released just prior to Alberta Official Opposition Leader Rachel Notley’s media availability in the city today on the topic.

In a statement issued just after 11 a.m. and two days prior to the cut-off date for the Family Medicine Maternity Clinic (FMMC) accepting new patients, AHS stated that following meetings with local health care officials a decision was made to keep the clinic open until at least July 2021.

The clinic was set to close in April 2021 with the deadline for new patients coming this weekend.

Notley called the timing of the announcement of the funding extension, “a frantic effort to issue manage – I guess that’s better than doing nothing.” She went on to state, “We are here today to say it’s not enough. The Sword of Damocles hanging over the continued existence of this clinic must be permanently removed.”

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Flanked by MLAs Janis Irwin and Shannon Phillips, Dr. Bill Ruzycki and mother of four Jadianne Simpson, Notley lambasted the UCP governments attacks on the provincial health-care system.

She called on Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro to get involved in the issue to ensure Medicine Hat’s maternity clinic remains open.

“A young mother or a young woman anywhere here in Medicine Hat who’s lucky enough to get that happy news that she’s expectant now can not be sure that clinic will be there for her when it comes time for her to deliver,” said Notley.

Phillips added there will be economic implications if the clinic does not continue to provide the same level of maternity care for parents in the city.

“How is it that we can expect to create the economy of the future for those kids and their parents,” asked Phillips. “How are we going to ask them to come here and contribute to the economy, to give us everything they’ve got, give us their best if you can’t even have a baby here.”

In a rare sign of bipartisanship in Alberta politics, Cypress-Medicine Hat UCP MLA Drew Barnes was supportive of calls for the maternity service to be permanent and critical of the decision to wait until the last minute to grant an extension of the FMMC.

“So I’m calling on the minister of health to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Let’s make sure top-drawer services are provided with money and support,” said Barnes.

The funding announcement stated AHS, the Palliser Care Network and local physicians will continue to look at options – including the location of FMMC which is currently located at the Medicine Hat hospital – to keep the clinic open past July 2021.