MEDICINE HAT, AB – For 18 years, Medicine Hat’s Family Medicine Maternity Clinic at the hospital cared for patients with all prenatal resources in one place.
But six months ago it closed due to a lack of resources.
Some physicians are still providing care to their patients and there are also four who are accepting referrals for expecting mothers.
One of the doctors involved is Gary Prince. He says care is not as streamlined or efficient as it was when everything was in one place and it’s a more fragmented model of care.
“Losing the maternity clinic I think will be one of the sad losses for 2021,” Prince said. “That will be one of the legacies of losses for 2021. It’s hard to match a single-purpose clinic that has everything streamlined and all the care in one place. It’s convenient for patients, it’s convenient for physicians.”
Even though there is no longer a clinic, Prince says the physicians are working hard to make sure everyone is cared for and no one falls through the cracks.
