Patients at the St. Paul Healthcare Centre may experience temporary disruptions in surgical services, including c-sections, as a result of a shortage of physicians with general practice anesthesia.
According to a memorandum from Alberta Health Services, these disruptions are anticipated to persist throughout the remainder of November, extend into a significant portion of December, and continue into early January.
Surgical services, including c-sections, will be temporarily unavailable from Nov. 18 to Dec. 3 and again from Dec. 11 to Jan. 7. The AHS emphasizes that during periods without general anesthesia coverage, only low-risk obstetrics services will be offered at the St. Paul Healthcare Centre.
Maternity patients are encouraged to visit the hospital for assessment by their obstetrics physician, who will collaborate with them to establish an appropriate care plan.
In the interest of patient safety, AHS assures that impacted surgical patients will be duly notified and their appointments rescheduled. The organization affirms that such decisions are made only when absolutely necessary.
AHS pledges to collaborate closely with neighboring healthcare facilities to provide additional support to St. Paul obstetrical patients as needed. AHS is actively engaged in recruiting healthcare professionals for rural areas. The anticipated disruptions may be averted or concluded prematurely if sufficient coverage is secured.
