Solutions sought to address anesthesiologist shortage in Alberta

Anesthesiologists cover a critical component of surgical care by providing pain management, but some of these specialists say there aren't enough of them in the province to provide efficient patient care.

Officials also say they are working on solutions to bridge the gap.

"We are seeing a shortage of anesthesiologists and anesthesia providers," said Dr. Craig Pearce, past president of the Alberta Medical Association's anesthesia executive.

"That's pervasive across the country and certainly across North America. We had the Alberta surgical uplift at the same time as COVID-19 decided to hit and then we had just an exacerbation."

He says Edmonton Zone could use 20 to 30 more anesthesiologists while Calgary Zone has 15 to 20 positions to fill.

"There's a variety of lists that just go unfilled by anesthesia providers. So we're looking at emails pretty much every day, looking for people to fill in days here and there," said Pearce.

Central Zone recruited two anesthesiologists in April, bringing the total number of providers to 15, although it does not represent a total number of full time positions.

According to AHS Central Zone media relations: "the number of full-time equivalents can vary and is a measure of hours rather than individual practicing physicians."

"People waiting to have their cancer surgeries done, their hip and knee replacements done -- our patients face longer waitlists than, clinically, they should be," said Dr. Keith Wolstenholme, an orthopedic surgeon in Red Deer.

"Our patients in Central Zone face longer waitlists than, you know, in Edmonton and Calgary."

Wolstenholme is operating at 60 per cent of the volume he was in 2019 and his wait list can be six months to one year.

He says operating rooms often sit empty without professionals to staff them.

However, officials say solutions are being piloted right now.

"We've expedited the accreditation process for international medical graduates," said Pearce.

He says anesthesia assistants are being trialled in low-risk operations like cataract surgery.

These positions are often respiratory therapists with two years of training in anesthetics, administering pain meds under the supervision of an anesthesiologist.

Pearce says there is a comfortable increase in the number of medical students training in anesthesiology residencies in Calgary.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says increasing staffing across health care is a priority.

"We have to make sure we have all the physicians, health-care professionals, nurses, anesthesiologists, etc. Whoever we need, we need to make sure we have enough numbers."

She says recruitment work is ongoing.

Red Deer Regional Hospital is also in the planning stages of a $1.8-billion expansion.

Surgeons say that may help with recruitment, but could take years.