CALGARY – Five rural hospitals will be closing in central Alberta and more may follow within the next two years.
The closures announced Jan. 11, were the first for the 120 rural hospitals in the province. Until now, they have been spared the knife as the province continues its goal of cutting $734 million from the health budget by 1997.
These closures will save $11 million and cut 400 jobs, department officials say.
Lyle Oberg, a rural physician and MLA from Brooks, said about 10 percent of rural hospitals will be closed.
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As head of a series of round tables discussing the state of Alberta’s health-care system, he heard criticism that some rural hospitals were not necessary because they were built for political reasons rather than health needs.
“People have to rationally think what is the purpose of each of these hospitals and where services can be reasonably shared. If you have hospitals 10 miles apart (16 kilometres), maybe one should be long-term care and one should be acute care,” he said in an interview.
While some hospitals to be closed are relatively new buildings, Oberg said the capital costs pale in comparison to operating costs. Decisions need to be made on how care is delivered, rather than basing decisions on building costs.
For example, Oberg’s hospital, the Brooks Health Centre, cost $10 million to build 12 years ago. Its annual operating budget is $11 million a year. Several years ago it dropped from 70 to 40 acute care beds. The 10 physicians there have found new ways to treat the 18,000 people served from Brooks.
“You can’t fall into the trap of making decisions purely because there’s a building there. We have to plan for what is the best way to meet the health needs of the people of Alberta,” he said.
While exact dates were not provided, the announced closures included Bashaw’s 43-bed, full-service hospital, which will be converted to a 26-bed nursing home with no emergency, outpatient or X-ray services. Eckville loses 13 long-term and seven acute-care beds when the hospital is replaced by a community health centre.
Also shutting are Bradley and Elnora with 10 acute-care beds. Trochu will become a long-term nursing home with 25 long-term care beds losing, 15 acute-care beds and 15 extended-care spots.
Hospitals at Innisfail, Lacombe, Ponoka, Rimbey and Sundre will lose half their acute-care beds. Red Deer Regional Hospital must close 16 acute-care beds.
In the Peace Health Region, 49 beds in total will be lost in hospitals at Peace River, McLennan and Manning. Hythe Hospital, west of Grande Prairie, will close its 24-hour emergency services and 10 acute-care beds.
