Article content

Doctors across the province have been saying for months now that a health-care emergency is about to be unleashed in Alberta — not by COVID-19 — but by provincial government policy.

The evidence of the veracity of that prediction seems to mount daily.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Corbella: Rural women watch out, doctors can't afford to deliver your babies Back to video

On Thursday night, all of the physicians at a Sundre medical clinic announced they could no longer afford to deliver babies or work in the emergency ward at the local hospital as a result of the funding cuts made by the Alberta government.

The eight family doctors at the Moose and Squirrel Medical Clinic held a live Facebook meeting, attended virtually by hundreds of people from the community 100 kilometres northwest of Calgary, to announce the withdrawal of their services and privileges at the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre.

“We have come to the conclusion that the only way that we can continue to be in the community as your medical clinic … is to give up that part of our practice that we can no longer afford to do,” said Dr. Vesta Michelle Warren on Thursday evening, who along with her seven other physician colleagues, looks after 4,000 patients in the Sundre/Caroline area.