Sunday, January 16, 2022

ALBERTA NDP: Year-long wait times unacceptable at Edmonton multiple sclerosis clinic

Lauren Boothby 
© Provided by Edmonton Journal Health Critic David Shepherd joined by Dr. Mary Lou Myles, who has a community practice filling in at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic on January 12, 2022. (Supplied photo)

The Alberta NDP says the government needs to act fast to speed up wait times for multiple sclerosis patients in Edmonton who are being forced to wait up to a year for diagnosis and treatment.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) confirmed Thursday current wait times at Kaye Edmonton Clinic’s multiple sclerosis clinic are three to 12 months. The clinic diagnoses, treats and supports people with multiple sclerosis, helps with managing symptoms and medications, provides referrals and takes part in clinical trials, according to AHS’s website.

“Wait times and referrals have increased in recent months as community neurologists closed practices to new patients,” said AHS spokesman Kerry Williamson, in a statement Thursday. “Additional pressures have resulted at AHS, with MS nursing staff being re-deployed due to COVID-19 pandemic response.

“A team of multi-disciplinary experts at AHS is in the early stages of a comprehensive review of MS services in the zone, with a goal of optimizing care for MS patients and improving outcomes.”

Health Critic David Shepherd with Tam Rosnau of Edmonton on January 12, 2022, who was diagnosed with MS 18 years ago. The NDP were highlighting the long wait times for MS patients at the Kaye Clinic due to the ongoing pandemic. (Supplied photo)

NDP health critic David Shepherd said the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is not only delaying surgeries, it’s also delaying important health treatments for patients with chronic illnesses.

“Lack of access to appropriate and timely care for those living with the disease can have a very significant and lasting negative impact. Unfortunately, today, many Albertans can’t get that timely care,” he said at a Wednesday news conference. “The situation at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic has been exacerbated by the challenge to recruit physicians to our province, while Jason Kenney continues his ongoing war with doctors.”

Edmonton neurologist Dr. Mary Lou Myles said some staff, like specialized nurses, have been pulled out of their field to help with the pandemic. This has created longer wait times for new multiple sclerosis patients which, to her, is unacceptable.

“There are many people in Alberta living with chronic disease who deserve access to a well functioning healthcare system and timely access to specialty care and treatment in order to live the best lives possible,” she said at the NDP’s news conference.
The importance of early treatment

But Myles said it’s especially important to get early diagnosis and treatment for multiple sclerosis so patients have the best chance of maintaining a good quality of life.

“When people are left untreated and they continue to have relapses, that causes ongoing damage to the nervous system,” she said. “They’re more at risk for not only becoming disabled in the short term, but also in the long term developing more progressive symptoms.”

Tam Rosneau, who has multiple sclerosis, said early treatment was really important in her own experience. She already has a neurologist, Dr. Myles, so she can get help if she starts to experience symptoms like double vision again. But that’s something patients on a waitlist don’t have.

“If I wasn’t linked to a neurologist and I didn’t have a diagnosis I wouldn’t have known what was going on,” she said. “(Relapse symptoms are) all very scary, and not being able to reach out to an expert and have some type of explanation, or person with an expertise being able to advocate for you and support you, (would be) really quite frustrating.”

lboothby@postmedia.com

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