Those who have spent more than two years on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta say it is harder than ever to get information from the province.
On Monday, Alberta Health Services President Dr. Verna Yiu wrote a op-ed in the Edmonton Journal.
“… we are adjusting our contingency plans to add hundreds more spaces in addition to ICU,” Yiu admitted in the piece.
Global News requested several interviews with Yiu for details, but she was not made available.
Global News on Tuesday told the chief medical officer of health, dr. Deena Hinshaw, asked how many spaces are added, where and who they will man.
“I have no details about Alberta Health Services’ acute care planning,” Alberta’s top doctor responded.
She gave the same answer when asked if surgeries would have to be canceled.
“It is clear that the system is in trouble, and for whatever reason, the government and / or AHS do not want to communicate it to the people, the public,” said Joe Vipond, Calgary’s doctor and outspoken critic. emergency room said.
Read more:
Alberta hospitals under ‘severe pressure’ from 5th COVID-19 wave: Hinshaw
Alberta reached a record high number of hospitalizations on Wednesday.
Vipond said Alberta had carefully avoided going to triage protocol during the fourth wave, but he did not know if the same could be said for the current fifth wave.
He said Albertans needed information on how the province ended up in the fifth wave.
“I do think we should Dr. Yiu have front and center answering questions, and I think we should also have our politicians – (Minister of Health) Mr. (Jason) Copping (and) Prime Minister (Jason) Kenney – have to answer why they allowed this to happen. “
The province acknowledges the current case numbers are inaccurate as most Albertans cannot get a PCR test.
Unlike during the first four waves, most outbreaks are no longer detected or posted.
And Vipond pointed out that messages are mixed between federal officials and provincial officials.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, dr. Theresa Tam, recommending the use of N95 masks, Alberta did not do the same.
“I think Albertane deserves to have the information to protect themselves from a potentially deadly virus,” Vipond said.
Read more:
N95 masks, quick tests, still hard to get in Edmonton
Edmonton doctor Neeja Bakshi worked on the COVID-19 ward at Royal Alexandra Hospital.
She received attention this week afterwards to post a photo of herself on social media after a long shift in the hospital.
Bakshi encouraged others to do the same by using the hashtag #RunningOnEmpty. Hundreds responded.
“Given that we do not get transparent information from our government, and that is the other part of this, so those of us who are in it need to talk,” she explained.
The frontline workers said they would like information on how capacity is being expanded, when, where and who will be manning the extra beds.
Without it, they said morale would only continue to decline.
“I think this is a very difficult time for us as healthcare workers to see that lack of leadership and understand what the endgame is here with the long-term plans,” Vipond said.
Global News asked AHS for an interview or to provide details Wednesday.
Both were denied with a spokesman saying “we hope to address these things tomorrow.”
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Reference-globalnews.ca