Calgary patients putting strain on rural hospitals
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 | 1:30 PM ET
CBC News
Calgarians frustrated with wait times in city hospitals are turning to rural emergency rooms for medical attention, overloading the rural resources, doctors say.
Dr. John Hagens, who works in the High River emergency room, estimates about 10 per cent of his patients come from Calgary.
"First and foremost, we're seeing people saying that the wait times are prohibitive. So we're having people coming from the northeast of Calgary saying, 'It's not that long to hop on the Deerfoot, come down to High River,' versus a potentially eight- or 12-hour wait," he said, adding that he's much busier now than when he moved to the town nine years ago.
"You know, anecdotally, I think most of us have a sense that the numbers are increasing dramatically."
These increasing numbers of patients are taxing the resources at rural hospitals like High River, he said.
"Certainly wait times in the waiting rooms are going up. People in High River traditionally have been privileged in not having to wait near as long as people residing in Calgary," he said.
He added that as the High River facility runs out of beds, the hospital is forced to turn to other rural hospitals, continuing the spillover of patients and the strain to care for them.
Longer wait times feared
Calgary's Dr. Robert Abernethy said city residents with life-threatening illnesses should not be turning to rural hospitals for care.
He said such facilities may not have enough staff to keep up with the demand, eventually leading to longer wait times, and in some cases may lack the equipment or specialists to deal with certain life-threatening problems.
"They shouldn't be driving away from the city, because those illnesses are going to be seen quickly, and in all likelihood, they may well have to be transferred back into the city," he explained.
He added that as small town hospitals fill up with Calgarians, some local residents are likely being sent away to other rural hospitals.
"It will put an increased impact on everybody," he said.
