An exam room sits ready for patients at The Hill Centre (Photo Courtesy Frank Buck)

By Gates Guarin

Doctor shortage impacting municipalities, increasing clinic wait times

Sep 27, 2022 | 5:10 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The doctor shortage has reached an alarming rate here in Canada, especially in smaller municipalities such as Medicine Hat. The loss of a family doctor has many in the community worried about where they will go for the care they need.

The Hill Centre walk-in clinic is experiencing firsthand the impact a shortage of family doctors is having here in the community.

“It’s infuriating for not only the general public, for us as the staff members here, for myself as a local community member and for our physicians,” says Samantha, operations director at the clinic. Samantha has asked her last name not be used for privacy reasons.

She says the clinic has been dealing with a massive influx of patients, with approximately 150 patients seeking care at the centre every day. According to Samantha, about 90 per cent of those patients have voiced concerns about not having a family doctor or being unable to access their doctor at an appropriate time.

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Wait times have also increased significantly because of the increase in patient numbers. The Hill Centre has also had to close because of patient cap limits.

“We have multiple physicians who not only work at The Hill Centre, but in emergency and in family practices of their own clinics,” Samantha says. “So with the cap from the province of only being able to see 50 patients per day and bill at their highest rates for themselves, we are noticing we have to close the clinic because we don’t have the physicians who are available to work past their 50 patients.”

The lack of family doctors is not just a Medicine Hat issue.

A study from the Angus Reid Institute earlier this month shows half of Canadians are either unable to see their family doctor within a week, or unable to find a doctor at all. Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley expressed her concerns while at a stop in the city, saying the total number of physicians has dropped by 20 per cent over the last two years.

“The people of Medicine Hat have nowhere to go to ask about those smaller medical problems. You know, the ones that, if they aren’t addressed, subsequently develop into much larger medical problems.”

When asked about what an NDP government will do to help recruitment and retention of doctors to the city, Notley said the focus will be on re-establishing trust between the government and physicians, bringing back stability to the current health-care system, and making sure the system is appropriately funded.

[W]e just need to address this so people can have good healthcare they deserve…_{-Samantha, The Hill Centre}

Some municipalities are also taking steps to address the shortage. Lethbridge City Council approved several initiatives aimed at attracting more doctors to the community and is anticipating the arrival of 17 new doctors to the city. Earlier in the year, Tory Campbell, reeve for Lethbridge County, said the county received an investment from the city to aid in marketing campaigns and to figure out what needs to be done to bring doctors to the region.

“What are the issues that are preventing physicians from coming here, trying to address that and at the same time, highlight the area, highlight the region and what it has to offer so that people feel this is a place they can call their home,” Campbell says.

Here in Medicine Hat, Coun. Alison Van Dyke says city council is aware of the shortages and is working closely with Alberta Health Services to come up with viable, long-term solutions.

“We definitely want to make sure we don’t reach an emergency situation like we’ve seen in other communities where there’s no doctors at all taking patients,” Van Dyke says. “Patients are driving to other communities to get care. We want to make sure people are able to access the sort of care they need here in Medicine Hat.”

Van Dyke adds bringing in new physicians is more complex than just hiring one to come and practice.

“When a physician moves here, it’s not just them coming by themselves typically,” Van Dyke says. “They’re bringing a spouse, a partner or children, and they want to know what kind of school systems are available, faith communities and amenities and services for their family here.”

Frontline healthcare workers, like Samantha and staff at The Hill Centre, say more action needs to be taken.

“We recognize as well that it’s not enough,” Samantha says. “It’s not enough for good health care to come in and only receive a couple days worth of their prescriptions or minimal reports of their testing. We’re doing the best we can with the resources we have, and we just need to address this so people can have good healthcare they deserve and that they’re paying for.”