As the province grapples with ongoing pressures within the health-care system, capacity issues have now forced hospital staff to postpone some children’s chemotherapy treatments, according to Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“All patients requiring chemotherapy treatment continue to receive it within appropriate timelines,” AHS said in a statement.
“A small number of pediatric patients in Edmonton were delayed in beginning their chemotherapy series due to capacity challenges.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused to the patients and their families.”
The president of the Alberta Medical Association says while doctors have been calling for help from the province to tackle long wait times in emergency rooms, capacity challenges and staffing shortages, it’s starting to take a hit on essential medical care for kids.
“They’re very sick. We got some feedback that it was even impacting some of the chemotherapy care for children with cancer,” Dr. Parks said in a Global News interview earlier this week.
Parks said while respiratory viruses continue to be the top concern, it’s starting to impact care for more serious illnesses.
NDP health critic David Shepherd said the provincial government should have seen this coming.
“We knew this virus season was coming. We knew it would present extraordinary pressures on our healthcare system.
“Frontline healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, others were speaking out in warning to the government this was coming,” Shepherd said.
“That is one of the things that this government repeatedly failed to understand… our healthcare system is complex and interconnected. You cannot play games in one part. You cannot make cuts in one part without affecting the others.”
Global News reached out to the province for comment and was referred back to comments made by AHS.
— with files from Carolyn Kury de Castillo, Global News
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