EDMONTON — Earlier this morning, CBC news released Alberta Health Services data that shows Edmonton once again saw record increases in frostbite amputations last winter, with five times the number of surgeries taking place since 2019, and the majority being unhoused patients.
In response to the increase, a statement from the minister of Assisted Living and Social Services Jason Nixon’s office stated that: “The increase in both frostbite diagnoses and amputations are a direct result of co-ordinated, concerted efforts to increase awareness and early intervention of frostbite and cold exposure, improving outcomes for vulnerable Albertans.”
“The temperature has dropped and thousands of Albertans are outside in the cold due to a lack of affordable housing. Our government should be treating this as the public health crisis that it is and acting urgently on solutions. Instead, the Minister’s office is suggesting that record frostbite amputation surgeries are somehow good news,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “In what world is amputating a finger or a foot an ‘improved outcome for vulnerable Albertans’!? The Minister’s statement is beyond offensive, as is his lack of action.”
For years, Friends of Medicare has been calling on the provincial government to take the growing risk extreme weather poses to Albertans' health seriously by implementing pro-active plans to protect people and our public health care system. Crucial to these plans must be a strategy to keep people housed and protected from the impacts of both extreme heat and extreme winter weather.
“These amputations are traumatic both for the patients experiencing them and the health care workers dealing with a wave of what they know are totally preventable cold weather injuries,” said Gallaway. “But if caring for our neighbours isn’t enough motivation for our government to act, they should look at their bottom line. Because we know that poverty costs. Housing Albertans is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than what we are currently doing, which is allowing homelessness to be treated through our emergency departments, operating rooms and public hospital system.”
These figures are being released as Alberta’s hospitals and emergency rooms are already struggling with capacity, while also being hit hard by an especially bad influenza season. A plan to reduce frostbite amputations should be a key part of reducing demand on our overstretched hospitals this winter.
“Housing is health care. If we want to protect our public health care system and ensure our hospitals are available when needed, then we need an urgent plan to tackle the housing crisis and to get people sheltered from the cold,” concluded Gallaway.