Achi news desk-
Several walk-in clinics and family practice Medicentres have closed or are about to close in Edmonton and Calgary because doctors say they can’t afford the rent.
Family practice Gateway Medical Clinic at Calgary Trail and 38th Avenue in south Edmonton is closing in May – affecting more than 7,000 patients, including Jean Mill.
“They can’t afford the rent on the building with the remaining doctors and they can’t get doctors to take over for the two people who are retiring,” Mill said.
Mill’s doctor connected her with a new one, but she worries about other older people with bigger health problems.
“I’ve had to go into crisis and they can’t take it anymore,” Mill said.
“I never thought I would ever be in this position in a province as rich as Alberta.”
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Family practices in Alberta operate like small businesses, with the doctors charging the province based on pre-determined fees.
Medical centers in Riverbend Square in southwest Edmonton and Castle Downs in the northwest have already closed.
A now-closed Medical Center in southwest Edmonton’s Riverbend Square on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Global News
In a letter sent to patients at the north side clinic, he said, “The reimbursement from the Government of Alberta is not enough to cover clinic operating costs.”
Medicentres Canada general manager Wayne Samuels said the closure is concerning.
“There are not enough family doctors to meet the demand of Albertans, and then on top of that, costs have been rising much faster than reimbursement,” Samuels said.
“Should people be concerned? Completely. We are very concerned, we are closing clinics – we don’t want to do it. “
Samuels sees hope on the horizon. He said recent funding and a new model coming soon from the Government of Alberta is helping.
“The government announced a one-time funding payment – a transitional funding program that provided payment to doctors to stabilize clinics and cover the fact that costs were rising faster than reimbursement,” Samuels said.
In a statement to Global News, Alberta Health said:
“The new compensation model will support GPs to provide comprehensive patient care where they develop a long-term relationship with their patients and ensure that healthcare needs are met through every stage of a patient’s life. It will also incentivize family physicians to provide care to more patients – so more Albertans have a primary care provider.”
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
