It’s disturbing that so many Rocky View residents have such poor access to health care.
The world-class medical facilities within the City of Calgary, such as The Alberta Children’s Hospital and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre are a comforting presence, however, those facilities will do little good if patients are unable to reach them in time.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, only 10.2 per cent of Alberta’s physicians practise in rural areas, while 24.6 per cent of the province lives in the country or small towns.
Only 1.5 per cent of specialists work in rural Alberta, while 17.8 per cent of family doctors have rural practices.
Residents of Beiseker, Irricana and northeast rural Rocky View are forced to drive at least 30 minutes to hospitals in Olds, Three Hills or Calgary.
Despite its population of more than 40,000, Airdrie residents are in much the same boat, although the city is home to an urgent care centre, which can handle minor medical emergencies.
The greater Bragg Creek area, located 30 minutes from any hospitals, is home to 3,500 people. Strangely, this affluent community has been unable to maintain a long-term clinic, much to the chagrin of residents.
A group of citizens has formed a partnership with the Calgary Rural Primary Healthcare Clinic in an effort to provide a stable medical facility for the community.
We applaud them, as well as the Langdon Medical Centre, which recently opened the doors of its new Women’s Health Clinic.
Every Albertan deserves access to primary and emergency medical treatment. If the Province chooses to ignore the fundamental needs of its constituents, it is up to local residents to seek alternatives.
