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Elective orthopedic surgeries at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) have been cancelled for the second time in a week as the facility struggles with doctor shortages.
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Four operating rooms in the Orthopedic Surgery Centre will close for four days starting Tuesday, cancelling 83 surgeries, because of “challenges related to securing in-house physician coverage,” Alberta Health Services (AHS) said in a series of tweets Wednesday.
This is in addition to closures announced last week from Aug. 24 to 27. The two closures mean a total of 136 surgeries have to be postponed.
“All affected patients have been notified and are being re-scheduled as soon as possible. Surgeries at the OSC will resume with regular coverage on Saturday, September 4, 2021,” AHS said in a tweet.
“There are no impacts to the main operating room and emergency orthopedic activity will continue as required.”
Health-care workers have been raising the alarm for months as Alberta hospitals are under pressure with staffing shortages and bed closures.
