The hospitals in Calgary are facing a critical shortage of doctors in emergency wards. Many hospitals are reporting empty shifts and extended wait periods for medical care, indicating that the shortage of doctors has reached concerning proportions.
Patients are waiting for hours to receive treatment in emergency rooms, which is causing crowding and growing dissatisfaction among patients and medical staff.
“We have to wait for 4 hours to see the doctor in the emergency ward of South Health Campus due to the chest congestion of my brother, said Ishika.
The primary reason for the shortage of doctors in Calgary is the increasing population expansion and the growing development in Alberta. Immigrants are moving from different provinces due to the availability of life and Calgary is becoming the third largest populated city after Toronto and Vancouver.
Patients are waiting for weeks or even months to see a doctor in some cases due to lengthy wait times for appointments with experts. In addition to making health issues worse, this delay in seeking care drives up healthcare expenses when individuals seek care elsewhere, such as in emergency departments.
“Everyone should have their family doctor; this was the mistake that I have made so far, during my period of time in Canada, I didn’t create a family doctor”, said Ishika.
Family doctors serve as patient advocates, guiding patients, and their families through referrals to specialists, diagnostic tests, and other medical treatments as well as helping them comprehend the intricacies of the healthcare system. Patients are guaranteed timely and suitable interventions according to their individual needs and preferences.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made Canada's doctor shortage worse and put unheard-of pressure on the already overworked healthcare system. There are differences in the accessibility of medical care for people of rural and remote places because these areas frequently face the greatest challenges in attracting healthcare providers.
“In India, we have many doctors, and we can be treated within two minutes if we go to emergency but that’s not the case here. The patients who need more attention should be taken more quickly and the patients who need less attention won’t even be waiting for like longer hours their turn also should be coming within 30 minutes or a maximum of one hour”, said Ishika.
The lack of doctors in Canada is a major problem for the whole country, and it is urgent to put into place sensible measures that will fortify the healthcare system and enhance health outcomes for all citizens. Canada can develop a more robust and sustainable healthcare workforce that can address the wide range of demands of its population both now and in the future by giving investments in medical education, recruitment, and retention programs a top priority.
