It's an Emergency!

How are you doing? Well, I just had the opportunity to ride in an ambulance and spend a night in the emergency department of the Roya Alexandra Hospital, and I must say that it was an interesting experience – to say the least. That ER at Royal Alex is a busy place which has now metal detectors, like at an airport, and increased security staff after a patient was stabbed there recently. But I felt very safe there, and the nurses, physicians and other staff were very attentive and professional although they are not very happy with their working conditions. Talking with them, I got the impression that not many of them are fans of our current provincial government. I receive press releases from that government every day, telling me how they are “improving” Alberta’s healthcare system, but the reality at the frontlines is very different. Emergency rooms are overcrowded, healthcare workers are overworked, and there are not enough hospital beds. The government has promised to add 700 acute care beds to the Misericordia Hospital and the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, but who knows when that will happen. The last time a new hospital for Edmonton was promised was in 2017, but the project was shelved in 2024 although $69 million were already spent.

‍Arnim Joop 
Publisher & Editor
mwmosaic@telus.net