Edmonton hospital doctors urge province to keep inpatient beds open

Doctors at an Edmonton hospital have penned a joint statement urging the Alberta government to reverse its plan to close 21 inpatient beds at a time when hospitals are overflowing with patients.

The statement, shared with The Globe and Mail, said staff at the University of Alberta Hospital were told on Jan. 6 that one of its two family medicine units will be closed in March, reducing inpatient beds to 21 from 42.

Physicians working on these units, who wrote the statement, said closing beds will further strain an already overburdened system and hinder patient care. Family medicine units provide care to acutely ill patients with a range of complex medical and social needs, such as seniors with dementia and trauma patients who do not require surgery.