Emergency services in northern Alberta village disrupted by lack of available doctors

A lack of available doctors and the inability to secure coverage are causing temporary disruptions at an emergency department in a northern Alberta village and surrounding communities over the Christmas holidays.

Residents in the village of Boyle, Alta., located in Athabasca County, approximately 163 kilometres north of Edmonton, will have to travel to surrounding communities for emergency medical services because Boyle Healthcare Centre Emergency Department is facing a shortage of doctors who canwork over the holidays.

The emergency department will be without a doctor from Dec. 23 to Dec. 26, as well as Dec. 28 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to a press release from Alberta Health Services on Friday.

Harold Nikipelo, an Athabasca County resident and former paramedic in Boyle, said shutting down emergency services is unacceptable.

The responsibility is on the AHS and the provincial government to make sure emergency departments are staffed with doctors at all times, he says.

"I think a big responsibility needs to come back to the physicians that made the commitment to provide these services," Nikipelo said in an interview Sunday.

"If you and I are planning on taking a holiday, we make sure that our jobs are covered or we don't plan our holiday."

Nursing staff available

In the meantime, AHS says nursing staff will be available to triage and assess patients in the emergency department. EMS services remain available to community members, and will transport patients to alternate emergency departments if the need arises.

The disruption from the lack of coverage for doctors isn't the first for Boyle residents.

Most recently, on Sept. 28., AHS announced due to a lack of physician availability and inability to secure locum (temporary substitute) coverage, the Boyle Healthcare Centre emergency department would be operating without doctors.

Warren Griffin, chief administrative officer for the village of Boyle, said the lack of doctors is going to affect people's decision on whether or not they need to go to the hospital.

"Hopefully, if people need medical help they'll get to the hospital or call 911, that's why we have an ambulance service," Griffin said.

"The system is strained and Boyle isn't the only location in Alberta that's experiencing these hardships."

Recruitment to rural areas

In the statement, AHS says it continues to aggressivelyrecruit healthcare workers for rural areas.

Incentive programs such as the Alberta Rural Health Professions Action Plan is aimed to recruit medical workers and support current rural practitioners.

According to Griffin, the village of Boyle is expected to welcome two international nurses to the hospital. With one nurse already working, the second nurse is expected to arrive next week.

"Within the next month, we can hopefully start running our hospital full-timeagain. And with a full-time running hospital, it does make it more attractive for locum doctors to come and work here," he said.

AHS is asking patients in the region to call 911 if they have a medical emergency.