Collette Smith, an Edmonton resident, is grappling with frustration as she waits for her hip replacement surgery at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Despite being told by her surgeon in May that the procedure would take place within six to eight weeks, Smith is still awaiting a date in mid-October.
“The surgeon saw me and said that he wanted me through in six to eight weeks,” she told Global News on Thursday. Smith’s frustration is understandable, as the delay impacts her daily life. “There’s a lot of things that I’d like to do (like) walking around and going to a park here in town, to walk around and enjoy the fall leaves. I don’t do that.”
Smith’s case is not an isolated one. A number of elective orthopedic surgeries have been delayed or cancelled at the Royal Alexandra Hospital since July. This situation underscores the strain on the healthcare system, particularly in the realm of orthopedic surgeries.
In response to the ongoing delays, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has provided an update on the status of orthopedic surgeries at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. “AHS is scheduling orthopedic surgeries requiring overnight inpatient stays at Royal Alexandra Hospital’s diagnostic treatment centre (DTC), and other hospitals in the EZ (Edmonton zone) that provide orthopedic surgical services, with priority given to previously postponed and waitlisted patients,” AHS stated. “The DTC continues to handle complex procedures such as hip, knee, shoulder, and spine surgeries.”
While the hospital resumed orthopedic day surgeries on October 1, elective orthopedic surgeries requiring overnight inpatient stays remain paused. However, AHS assures that “Urgent and emergent orthopedic care at … (Royal Alexandra Hospital) remains uninterrupted.”
The delays at the Royal Alexandra Hospital are part of a broader conversation about the state of healthcare in Alberta. This week, the Alberta government provided an update on its overhaul of the provincial health-care system, announcing that a new agency responsible for primary care is expected to be up and running by November.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, speaking at a news conference in Calgary, emphasized the importance of strengthening primary care. “(Primary care) is the foundation of keeping people healthy and out of hospital as much as possible,” she said. “We want to do that preventative work. That early intervention work.”
However, healthcare advocates like Chris Gallaway, with the non-profit group Friends of Medicare, argue that staffing is the crux of the issue. “If you don’t have any doctors or surgeons or nurses or health-care workers to do the work, the work’s not going to happen and the care is not going to happen,” Gallaway said.
While the Alberta government is focusing on primary care reform, patients like Smith are left waiting and wondering when they will receive the care they need. Smith’s situation highlights the challenges facing the healthcare system and the urgent need for solutions. For her, simply knowing when her surgery will take place would provide a much-needed sense of relief. “Give me something to look to. If you’re going to tell me it’s going to be next July, at least I know it’s next July. And then keep it to next July.”
