4 orthopedic Royal Alex operating rooms closed; 53 surgeries delayed

EDMONTON -

Fifty-three people need their surgeries at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton rescheduled because there is not enough staff to keep all operating rooms open.

Four operating rooms at the Orthopedic Surgery Centre will be closed for three days, Alberta Health Services announced Monday night.

The agency attributed the closure to an "unexpected lack of physician coverage for post-surgical care."

"To be clear, the necessary surgeons, anesthetists, nursing staff, etc. are available, just not the in-hospital physician oversight to support patients after their surgery," it said.

AHS' Edmonton zone deputy medical director told media two of the largest contributing factors to the shortages were burnout and needed vacation. 

"I think it's just important to reiterate to all of Albertans that our health care workforce is tired. They've worked extremely hard and they've done the best they can to serve Albertans," Dr. Curtis Johnson said. "We have limits as humans and we need that time to recover and rest and recuperate and continue to do the best that we can to serve all Albertans' needs, not just the surgical patients." 
He called the entire health-care system "extremely stressed."

AHS is orienteering clinical assistants and associates with post-surgical care experience to help with the shortages, but Johnson expects the issue to persevere a while longer. 

All 53 patients have been notified and will have their operations rescheduled as soon as possible -- Johnson hopes by September.

Emergency orthopedic surgeries will be unaffected, as will be the main operating room schedule, AHS added.

The NDP and Official Opposition's health critic characterized the shortages as "the direct result of (Health Minister Tyler Shandro's) botched handling of the pandemic, alongside his war with Alberta doctors, nurses and other frontline health care workers." 
David Shepherd demanded Shandro rebuild the government's relationship with health-care workers. 

For months, Albertans have seen emergency departments and hospital beds closed due, according to the province, to the COVID-19 pandemic and frontline staff taking deferred vacation time.

AHS has characterized "preliminary discussions" with an Ontario health staffing company as only "a last resort to prevent disruption of services due to vacancies or needs resulting from illness or vacation time.”

A spokesperson told CTV News Edmonton AHS' goal was to cover shifts with Alberta's unionized workers and hire qualified candidates for remote and rural areas, rather than relying on agency nurses.

In July, AHS launched a webpage tracking temporary bed reductions.

As of Tuesday morning, 144 of the province's roughly 8,500 acute care beds were closed, or 1.7 per cent.

Fewer than 20 of Alberta's emergency department spaces were closed.