With the threat of surgery cancellations every day at the Red Deer Regional Hospital, a group of local Doctors continues on their mission to have the province take notice and take action.
It was at the end of February when they hosted a State of the Hospital Address and invited the public to speak out about the lack of care Central Albertans are able to obtain here at home.
Long-time Red Deer Surgeon Doctor Paul Hardy says since that address they have met with the Health Minister, but there's a long road ahead.
“I think she (Sarah Hoffman) is hearing what we’re having to say, I think the Minister of Health realizes and wants people to get care closer to home, but that’s a huge investment that’s going to take many years and it’s reversing a trend that previous governments have presided over, so we’re not blaming the current government or the current Administration at AHS, but it’s a huge reversal in a long term trend that we’re looking for”
Hardy explains the main message they hope will hit home with the province.
“Convince government and Alberta Health Services to provide healthcare to Central Albertans close to home where it’s reasonable to do so. In the last 10-15 years there has been a trend for a lot of money being spent in other parts of the province so Central Albertans are having to travel more and more to Edmonton and Calgary to get basic care which we can provide here, but we’re not able to because of lack of resources”.
Hardy says they need the public to continue to speak out and unite their voices with their group of local health care professionals in order to see the province make a planned redevelopment and expansion at the hospital a priority.
Several Doctors will be on hand at tomorrow’s Farmer’s Market in Red Deer 8-12:30 at the Memorial Centre, to continue discussions and the need for action from the public too.
In the meantime, Hardy says surgery cancellations, lack of beds, strained and stressful work environments and long wait lists will continue in Red Deer.
“We have recent waitlist data which shows that Central Albertans are waiting longer for just about all types of elective surgery. What’s striking about this is we’re waiting longer for elective surgery given the fact that we are already self-deferring and self-referring to Edmonton and Calgary. So if the people who are getting care in Edmonton and Calgary were actually getting it in Central Alberta the waitlists would be absolutely intolerable and unsafe”.
Hardy says their group also has plans in the works to host another public rally in early September.
https://www.lacombeonline.com/local/no-mention-of-red-deer-regional-hospital-in-provincial-budget
https://www.lacombeonline.com/local/full-house-at-state-of-the-hospital-address
Thu, Apr 18, 7:00 PM
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