A group of Calgary emergency room physicians have demanded Alberta political parties listen to their concerns about the state of healthcare and called for them to act. ."Despite our best efforts to provide comprehensive and accessible care 24 hours a day and seven days a week, we are increasingly unable to do so," said the emergency room physicians in a Wednesday letter to fellow Albertans. .There were 192 doctors who signed onto the letter. Some of these ER physicians were Dr. Ahmed Saleh, Dr. Shawn Dowling, and Dr. Joe Vipond. .The letter said signs of a crisis are everywhere. The wait times in Calgary’s ERs have skyrocketed, with patients some times waiting up to 15 hours to be seen by a doctor. .Every one of these patients and their families has a personal story. The doctors said they have “devoted ourselves and our careers to caring for our fellow citizens, and our inability to help them in a timely or effective manner causes significant distress.”.The letter went on to say the erosion of ERs is a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic aftermath and poor government policy. There are three critical areas which impact patient care — lack of access to primary care, lack of hospital beds, and healthcare labour shortages. .Four years ago, the letter said there were enough family doctors for every Calgarian. When people fast forward to now, studies estimate 650,000 Albertans are without a family doctor. .Through the payment structure imposed by Alberta Health, family doctors are discouraged from working in family medicine clinics and are incentivized to work in specialty roles. This has led to a loss of family doctors to other provinces and countries, to private clinics, and to hourly positions paid outside of family medicine. .The letter said Alberta’s ability to attract new doctors is disheartening. There were 42 residency training spaces in family medicine that went unfilled this year after the first round of matching. .When patients are unable to access a family doctor for their medical concerns, it said they present to the ERs as their last resort to seek help. Patients are often sicker than they would have been had they received timely, comprehensive care from a family doctor. .The letter continued by saying Calgary hospitals often function at more than 100% capacity. This is a complex problem with multiple causes, but it is exacerbated by many patients admitted to the hospital who are unable to be discharged due to a lack of long-term care spaces. .While a patient might be admitted to an inpatient hospital bed, they will remain in the ER as an emergency in-patient (EIP). On an average day in Calgary, it said EIPs occupy one-quarter of the beds. .When these patients remain in the ER, their care is delayed and puts increased demand on nurses. This can cause unfavourable nurse-to-patient ratios and competing demands for their time. .The Alberta government has hinted at a nursing pay cut. The letter said this has led to many experienced ER nurses decreasing to part-time work, going to work in other provinces or countries, or leaving altogether, creating a shortage. .A lack of available nurses means while doctors may be available to see patients, safe, private areas to do so are unavailable. As a result, patients wait extra hours to be seen. .The letter said ER doctors are witnessing burnout among their colleagues. Many doctors are choosing to leave for other areas of medicine. .It asked for the Alberta government and Alberta Health Services to recognize the crisis. This crisis will require resources and innovative solutions to move forward. .The physicians concluded by saying there is “an election fast approaching, and we hope that healthcare is a top priority for political parties and for voters.” .“The health of our population depends on this,” they said. .“It is our sincere hope that whomever forms the next government will begin the process of repair, starting with the restoration of what was once a respectful relationship with frontline healthcare workers.” .Alberta Premier Danielle Smith responded to the letter by saying she has made healthcare reform a top priority. .“I have been hearing many of the same concerns the doctors raise, which is why we knew we had to deal with it,” said Smith. .“I put in an official administrator, and we got to work talking to nurses, doctors, paramedics, other health professionals.” .Smith said she has implemented these healthcare workers’ ideas and has started to see results. Hospital and ambulance wait times have gone down. .Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley announced on May 13 her party would give signing bonuses of up to $10,000 to attract healthcare workers to the province if elected..READ MORE: Notley pledges hiring bonuses to healthcare workers moving to Alberta.“The UCP (United Conservative Party) have a plan to sell off hospitals, but we have a plan to staff them,” said Notley. .There will be $70 million dedicated to signing bonuses for attracting frontline healthcare. Additionally, $375 million will be spent over three years to add spaces in schools across the province.
