CHAT News file photo

By Darren Rathwell

MH Hospital capacity could soon be a concern

Health care transfer delays from Medicine Hat rising: doctor

Jan 28, 2022 | 5:38 PM

Local emergency department physician Dr. Paul Parks is concerned about more trouble with our health care system, saying there’s a spike in the delay of transfers of Medicine Hat patients to larger cities.

“When our sick patients now need specialized care in the bigger centres, they’re overflowing,” Parks told CHAT News, adding, “Anybody that would need specialized cardiac care, stroke care, trauma care…those cases would normally be transferred to Calgary and now we’re seeing delays in some patients.”

Parks says various hospital wards in the bigger cities are seeing a surge in patients, whether COVID-19 related or otherwise, and that’s impacting various forms of care.

A dramatic example may have taken place in Red Deer last weekend, when a woman died while waiting for care in the the city’s emergency room.

Parks is concerned Medicine Hat’s hospital will see a jump in patient loads, like he says they’re seeing in most of Alberta’s larger cities.

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“We in Medicine Hat, the water’s kinds of knee high or waist high right now. But in Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton it’s above their heads and they’re all drowning. So because they’re drowning they can’t help us out…and our water’s just slowly rising. So the worry is the next week or two, even South Zone could be affected and in equally as bad shape.”

Parks says the Medicine Hat hospital usually sees the same trends as those in the bigger cities, just a few weeks later.

He’s recommending residents continue with measures like wearing masks, decreasing contact and getting vaccinated.

However, in a statement to CHAT News, the province says there is no way to judge right now if wait times were responsible for the patient’s death in Red Deer.

And Alberta Health’s Steve Buick also says, “the Omicron variant is straining health systems in every province and around the world. Pressure on the health system always peaks at midwinter and inevitably causes delays. Current patient volumes in non-ICU units are lower than peak levels in past years, but our hospital staff are strained after two years of responding to the pandemic.

Buick adds, “our health system is getting through this wave better than in some other provinces, with less disruption of scheduled surgery and other care, thanks to the dedication of our health care workers. We need Albertans to continue to protect the health system by following public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus, and getting vaccinated.”