Dr. Gerry Prince and MLA Justin Wright stand in a patient room in the new maternity clinic at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.--News Photo Zoe Mason
zmason@medicinehatnews.com
Five years after the closure of the Family Medicine Maternity Clinic, a low-risk facility is opening at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital again.
Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright and family obstetrician and clinic lead Dr. Gerry Prince announced the reopening of the maternity clinic at a press conference at the hospital Thursday.
The Family Medicine Maternity Clinic, based out of the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, closed in 2021 after the funding from the Palliser Primary Care Network was terminated due to budget constraints.
Wright called the 2021 loss of the clinic “one of the biggest detriments to health care in the southeast region.”
For the last five years, expectant mothers in Medicine Hat have been served by family physicians, with high-risk cases managed by a team of obstetricians at the hospital.
Between 800 and 1,000 babies are born in Medicine Hat every year. The high-risk team of obstetricians has habitually delivered roughly 40 per cent of the babies in the city, while family physicians deliver another 40 per cent and midwives deliver 20 per cent.
Prince says the revival of the clinic was spurred by the news of a family physician leaving Medicine Hat due to family reasons.
It was an unsustainable system even prior to the departure. Despite recruiting more family physicians to the area, Prince says doctors couldn’t keep up with the demand.
“Were it not for one physician who basically dedicated their practice to prenatal care, it would not have been sustainable long before now,” he said.
Funding for the clinic has been committed through March 2027.
“This will ensure that the immediate need is looked after while developing a sustainable long-term prenatal and obstetrical program for our region,” said Wright.
Wright says his government is committed to ensuring families see continuity of care for 2026 and beyond, with the long-term model being developed with input from local physicians.
“I don’t think anybody would pretend that the community wasn’t really disappointed by the closure of the clinic near to five years ago, including the physicians and all the providers,” said Prince.
“Having tried other models and really tried to make it work in the community, and seeing that it didn’t work – we’re really excited to be back.”
The clinic will see a variety of services centralized under roof, with low-risk and high-risk maternity care co-located at the hospital, alongside lab, imaging and ultrasound services and social support.
The clinic is expected to serve between 300 and 400 patients per year.
Prince says the clinic is opening with the same set of personnel the city has currently, a team of seven obstetricians and family physicians, dropping to six in April. So far he says they have been unable to recruit another physician to take the place of the departing doctor, but Prince is optimistic today’s announcement will make working in Medicine Hat more enticing.
“The stability of the clinic, to be frank, makes it much easier to get doctors interested in coming,” he said.
Expecting families can be referred to the clinic by a health-care provider or self-refer by calling the patient appointment line at 403-529-8060. The referral line launched Jan. 19, with full service at the clinic expected in the coming weeks.
Prince says the resurrection of the clinic has proceeded over a short timeline, with discussions beginning in October.
In September, a shortage of obstetricians left Medicine Hat without obstetrical coverage for a period of three days.
Wright highlighted the increase of primary care providers that has taken place since 2024 in Medicine Hat. He says in 2024, no providers were accepting new patients, and today, between nurse practitioners and physicians there are 12 to 15 providers taking on new business.
He also provided an update on the urgent care centre slated for construction in Medicine Hat. Wright says he is pushing to have dollars allocated for the purchase of the land for the facility in Budget 2026.
