EDMONTON – The leader of the Alberta Liberals is speaking out about the state of Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital, which he feels is in desperate need of an overhaul.
The 45-year-old building was scheduled to be replaced, or at least rebuilt, six years ago; but that hasn’t happened. The emergency room treats twice the number of patients it was designed for, with close to 50,000 people a year walking through the doors, according to Covenant Health.
A flood last May also forced more than 50 patients and more than 160 staff to be transferred to the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
READ MORE: Surgeries cancelled, patients moved after burst pipe floods Misericordia Hospital
“It’s tragic that in such a wealthy place, we have a hospital that has third-world conditions,” Liberal leader Raj Sherman said, “and especially an intensive care unit – where people are dying, they’re struggling to live – and it’s still a temporary unit that should have been closed years ago.”
“For me the ICU is very crowded,” admitted Patrick Dumelie, with Covenant Health. “It was meant to be a temporary solution that’s outlasted beyond what it was anticipated. It’s a difficult environment because of the crowding.”
Covenant Health says the ICU was supposed to be replaced with a permanent space within 18 months from when it was built in 2001.
Sherman, a former doctor, says doctors have complained to him about the conditions, which include leaks from deteriorating pipes.
Covenant Health is in the first phase of a three-year plan to deal with the 45-year-old hospital’s issues. Dumelie says AHS has pledged $15 million this year to help with the facility’s infrastructure issues.
“The plan is to look at things mostly behind the walls – the aging plumbing and electrical, and the elevators, and the air handling systems so that we know that this facility will remain operational and safe.”
Dumelie adds that it’s Covenant Health’s number one priority to eventually replace the Misericordia Hospital.
“It’s my opinion that it will probably take somewhere in the neighbourhood of five years to replace a facility of this size. That’s why we’re investing in the infrastructure and grateful for the $15 million given to us by the Province of Alberta to ensure this facility will last until it can be replaced.”
The total cost of the three-year-plan to repair the hospital’s infrastructure currently sits at $33 million. Sherman believes a lot more is needed, though.
“My understanding is that number is in the ball park of $300-$400 million,” he said.
“What’s going on at the Mis. is a result of neglect over the last couple of decades because regular maintenance and modernization of the facilities have not been done.”
Still, Dumelie insists that despite the “aging and sometimes difficult infrastructure,” patients are still able to get great care because of the innovation and resourcefulness of the Misericordia Hospital’s staff.
“We provide quality care here every day,” he said, “evidenced by our accreditation with exemplary standing, which is the highest possible accreditation standing indicating the quality of this facility is great.”
Late Monday afternoon, Matthew Grant – the press secretary to Alberta’s Minister of Health – sent Global News the following statement in regards to the situation at the aging Edmonton hospital:
“There are a number of health care facilities across Alberta that vary in age and infrastructure needs. The needs of each facility and the communities they serve are considered during the budgeting process as well as in the capital planning process.
Over the past two years, the government has budgeted approximately $700 million annually to support facility operations for all health care facilities across the province. This budget includes costs related to building maintenance operations and security, including the Misericordia hospital which received an additional $15 million this year for site specific work in Edmonton.
With regards to Edmonton’s facilities, it is clear with the growing population that a new facility will have to be considered in the coming years.”
More to come…
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