Rural Alberta ERs closing despite record physician numbers, AMA warns

Temporary emergency room closures continue disrupting health care across rural Alberta, but the root cause extends well beyond physician shortages, the Alberta Medical Association warns. The province now has more licensed doctors than at any point in history — yet ERs still go dark.

Dr. Brian Wirzba, AMA president, says emergency departments close not because of poor scheduling by local physicians but because rural hospitals struggle to find replacement doctors for planned vacations or unexpected absences. "Physicians deserve vacations and time away just like everyone else," Wirzba said. "Many rural hospitals may have two or three physicians covering emergency services. If one or two are away, those gaps are identified well in advance and every effort is made to fill them."

Even with months of notice, locum physicians are often unavailable. The real issue, Wirzba argues, is coordination. The province lacks clear understanding of where doctors are practicing and whether they're working in areas with the greatest need. "We have more physicians than we've ever had," he said. "The question is: where are they, and what are they doing within their scope of practice? Urban family physicians aren't necessarily helping fill rural gaps."

Wirzba pointed to stretches between Jasper and Edmonton where simultaneous closures have left residents driving more than 300 kilometres to reach emergency care. He proposed staggering closures across regions to maintain continuous access and creating a live public dashboard showing which emergency departments are open or closed.

The AMA also highlighted logistical barriers discouraging rural locum work — inadequate travel support in winter, lack of rental vehicles, and weak administrative coordination. Better provincial coordination could significantly reduce disruptions.

Alberta Health Services said temporary service advisories remain a last resort, occurring only after exhausting efforts to secure physician and staff coverage. The Virtual Emergency Physician Program, launched in January 2025, has prevented 98 per cent of potential emergency department disruptions caused by lack of on-site physician coverage since its start. The province continues recruiting physicians through northern incentive programs and the Rural Health Professions Action Plan.

The AMA is also warning Alberta faces a looming workforce challenge: nearly half the province's physician workforce is expected to retire over the next decade.