SOS not heeded by province, AMA president says, as system in ‘dire sense of urgency’

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Ryan Dahlman

Southern Alberta Newspapers

In an August letter to members of the Alberta Medical Association, Dr. Paul Parks, president of the association, has apologized to members over the lack of progress on two proposals the association delivered to the province providing solutions to stabilize primary and acute care from burnout.

Parks says the two proposals, delivered last fall, served as an “SOS call to the Government of Alberta from Alberta’s physicians. I’m sorry to say that there has been no answer,” following months of advocacy to work with the province to prevent further deterioration of the health-care system.

Citing a survey that AMA members took in October 2023 that compared the overall health-care system to the last few years, 81 per cent of respondents reported Alberta Health System is much or somewhat worse. That same survey found 78 per cent of respondents reported that support for physicians providing quality care is getting much or somewhat worse.

Parks says the AMA’s proposals would address issues reported by family, rural generalist and acute care physicians, which have led to practices being disrupted and their services destabilized.

“I have repeatedly asked you to be patient as we waited for meaningful action to address our concerns,” says Parks. “I’m not giving up, but I know that not everyone can afford to hold on indefinitely.”

Parks says the province’s health-care system is still waiting for UCP funding that was promised in the 2024 budget. Physicians are still waiting for a new Physician Comprehensive Care Model to stabilize care payments for family and rural medicine.

In March, Parks met Health Minister Adriana LeGrange following the province’s budget announcement and received a promise from the minister that the new care model would be implemented “as quickly as possible.”

According to Parks this delay from the UCP has impacted rural health-care significantly.

“There is no imminent help to keep rural generalist physicians in their clinics – not to mention the rural hospitals that utterly depend on their presence to run emergency departments.”

The snowfall effect has led to longer wait times for surgeries and procedures, especially those receiving cancer treatment.

“Cancer care wait times are skyrocketing and patients are suffering,” says Parks.

According to a government report published in March 2023 titled ‘Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Health Care System,’ between 600,000 to 750,000 Albertans do not have a regular health-care provider.

Moving forward Parks says the AMA will continue to advocate for health-care providers but says it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to move forward with the UCP.

“It is becoming evident that the system will not hold without immediate government action,” writes Parks. “Government says that they share our concerns, but without immediate action on key components, I am extremely concerned that they do not understand our dire sense of urgency.”