With the pressures on hospitals and other health facilities in rural Alberta continuing to grow with increased populations and the steady rise of recreational and other visitors, the need for adequate ongoing funding is a must.
Whether the Danielle Smith government is prepared to allocate the funds needed while moving forward with its other priorities, such as pursuing a possible Alberta pension plan and fighting federal environmental protection plans, remains an open question.
What is known is that area municipalities are doing what they can to ensure rural health care is not neglected or overlooked.
At their annual convention last week, Alberta Municipalities members approved a health-care-related resolution put forward by the Town of Sundre and seconded by the Town of Olds.
The resolution calls on government of Alberta to collaborate with post-secondary institutions to expand the number of seats available to train combined laboratory and x-ray technologists (CLXT) for rural Alberta by increasing the number of seats available at NAIT by 20 seats and exploring means by which an additional 20 seat capacity can be created at NAIT or another Alberta post-secondary institution.
“The Alberta landscape is dotted with many small rural hospitals,” the resolution states. “Although small, they are mighty, and provide an essential service to many Albertans. Often remote, these facilities offer a buffer for the injured and sick from the chronically overcrowded big city emergency rooms.
“One discipline where staff shortages have become a particularly serious concern is the combined lab and x-ray laboratory and x-ray technologist. This part of our hospital’s team is vital in assisting with efficient diagnosis and treatment and is essential to keeping a rural emergency room open.”
The Alberta Health Services website states: “Combined laboratory and x-ray technologists play a critically important role in the diagnosis, disease prevention and public health surveillance.”
Hopefully the Smith government will heed this latest call from rural municipalities for more health-care support. Of course, failing to do so would send its own clear message.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
