Sundre obstetric services closure extended another two weeks

“We currently do not have an adequate number of physicians with the necessary insurance to provide obstetrical services. We understand the decisions of our physicians who wish to stop providing obstetrical services in Sundre and support them in doing so.”

AHS adds that with a declining number of births at the site, staff and physicians have expressed concerned about being able to maintain the specialized skills required to deliver babies.

“Without access to an anesthesiologist and surgical expertise at the site, we do not have the ability to provide caesarian sections in Sundre,” AHS says. “This is an option that many patients want to have access to.”

The NDP, meantime, say the situation is simply unacceptable.

“For two years, the UCP has forced expecting parents in and around Sundre to travel hundreds of kilometres to give birth,” said Janis Irwin, NDP critic for Status of Women. “Not being able to give birth close to home adds uncertainty and costs to families. To make matters worse, the UCP are unable to honestly tell people in Sundre and across Alberta when obstetric services will resume.”

AHS states on their website that for the years 2017/2018, the health centre had 22 deliveries, with 13 the following year, and five since January 2020 up until its closure.

There are also also ongoing obstetrics closures in Whitecourt, Three Hills, Provost, Barrhead, and Rimbey.

“There is so much uncertainty around giving birth and being able to do so closer home can make the process so much more comfortable,” said Irwin. “The UCP’s continued closures in obstetrics and false promises of when they will resume services are making life harder for expecting parents.”

The NDP also claim that the issues in Sundre put more pressure on the Red Deer Regional Hospital which had to divert seven general surgeries over the weekend of Apr. 29, and 16 to-date since then. On April 25, fourteen ambulances were backlogged in the parking lot, waiting to access the emergency department.

“People in Sundre deserve care in their community. The Red Deer Hospital which serves over half a million people in central Alberta cannot keep up with demand caused by UCP-inflicted chaos in health and hospital closures,” said David Shepherd, NDP Health critic. “The UCP must tell Albertans today how they will restore stability in care.”

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by Alessia Proietti

Sundre obstetric services closure extended another two weeks

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