Afraid of losing its only medical clinic, the Village of Delburne council recently voted to provide a $75,000 grant to keep its doors open.
“The medical clinic is having a heck of time getting doctors, hence the income isn’t strong,” said Delburne Mayor Tim Wilson.
“We kind of looked at it as a two-part problem. One is to keep the boat afloat and take care of matters that were pressing, and then to look at long-term solutions.”
“We feel it is one of the most important issues of the day,” he said. The funding came from a community enhancement reserve fund.
The local medical clinic serves about 1,800 patients and has already had to turn away new patients because of a shortage of doctors. Part-time doctors are taking care of those patients, but there is no full-time physician in the village of about 900 east of Red Deer.
The clinic was opened by Dr. Muti Kauchali, who splits his time with another clinic in Blackfalds, where he is also the only doctor since the recent departure of a second.
Kurchauli recently appeared before Blackfalds town council to seek their support in lobbying for more physician help. Council agreed to write a letter to Health Minister Jason Copping and Lacombe-Ponoka MLA and Culture Minister Ron Orr highlighting the community’s challenges.
The clinic’s critical role in the community is without a doubt. Wilson said they know of six previously undiagnosed cancers that were found in patients visiting the clinic in less than a year since it opened.
“It’s keeping our seniors in their homes and I couldn’t even begin to think of how many other problems they’ve solved and things they’ve caught.”
However, subsidizing the clinic does not solve the root problem. The village has been lobbying provincial officials and enlisted the help of Innisfail-Sylvan Lake MLA Devin Dreeshen to ensure decision-makers are aware of the community’s need for physicians.
“We’re going to try everything possible and get creative and get out of the box and not just compete head to head, but come up with other ideas to support the clinic.
We feel one of our most important jobs (as council) is to protect our citizens and we just see this as so important.”
Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood agrees having enough doctors is critical to the health of communities.
Wood, Red Deer County Coun. Philip Massier and county staff recently met with Delburne representatives to talk about the issues facing the community.
Not having enough doctors means patients must go elsewhere, which overloads the physicians in other communities, said the mayor.
“It’s extremely important that each area has enough doctors to provide the service.”
Wood said the county is doing what it can to raise awareness about the physician shortage but has not gone further so far.
Doctor shortages are not a Delburne problem, it’s an issue for many communities across the country, he said.
Somehow, the message must be sent that Canada needs to train and recruit more doctors so communities can prosper.
“It’s extremely important for the economic viability of our communities for this service to be available,” he said. “If we’re going to have strong communities, we have to have good health.”