The Alberta Medical Association says another patient has died while waiting for care at a hospital, as the province’s health agency investigates the case.
AMA President Dr. Brian Wirzba says the man arrived at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospitalon May 8 and died several hours later.
“He received some initial therapy in the emergency room but because there were no stretcher spaces inside the emergency department, he was left in waiting room,” Wirzba said in a Saturday phone interview.
“This is another tragic event … We extend our condolences to the patient’s family and loved ones. And, you know, these things are never easy for front-line staff … There’s a significant moral distress that comes from working in that environment on a regular basis.”
Alberta Health Services says it is investigating and it can’t release further details due to privacy reasons.
“AHS takes situations like this seriously and is committed to providing a safe environment that supports high-quality care,” the agency said in an email.
“AHS has undertaken an initial investigation and a Quality Assurance Review will be conducted.”
The man is among several patients who’ve died while waiting for care across Alberta’s hospitals in recent months.
Late last year, Prashant Sreekumar, who was 44, died at Edmonton’s Grey Nuns Community Hospital after waiting nearly eight hours.
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Then earlier this year, Dr. Paul Parks, president-elect of the Alberta Medical Association’s section of emergency medicine, sent a letter to Alberta’s government detailing examples of another six deaths in hospitals over the span of two weeks in January. The letter also listed 30 cases that nearly ended in a death.
The letter pinned most of the deaths — and what doctors call “near misses” — to the fact that Alberta’s hospitals are clogged.
Alberta’s government ordered a judge-led inquiry into Sreekumar’s death in January, and also announced it was creating a program in which physicians would help triage patients.
Wirzba said Sunday the triage program, which would operate across six to eight major hospitals in Alberta, is still not in place.
“There has been significant delay in some of the details around describing the position and arranging appropriate contracts for the positions,” Wirzba said.
“We have continued to work with government on this on a very regular basis and, as recently as last week, also have been advised that … the team on the government side is reviewing some of the latest information that we’ve provided.”
He said he expects the AMA and the government to come to a resolution in June. Then a call-out for physicians who can make time in their busy schedules to sign on to the program will be issued.
“This entire process has taken far longer than we anticipated,” Wirzba said.
And it is also one of several resolutions needed, he added, to solve the problem of overcrowded Alberta hospitals.
“The emergency departments are under significant pressure,” he said.
“Solutions for this do require all stakeholders, governments, hospitals, care agencies, to work together to try and address the multitude of challenges that lead to the backlog.”
He said, for example, governments need to create social programs for patients being discharged.
“Patients need to get out to more appropriate places in the community, they need stable housing, social work to see them, addiction treatments … Those types of services need to be more readily available,” he said.
“All of those need to be improved in order to improve the flow through the emergency room.”
He said the latest death shouldn’t deter Albertans from going to the ER.
“Despite these tragic events, the vast majority of patients get care.”
Don’t want to sound callous but why is the judge-led investigation ordered ONLY in Sreekumar’s death? Is it because gov of Alberta doesn’t want a racial stink over their heads?
Alberta must fix NOW this big mess in healthcare, no more waiting. If they don’t know how to their job then they should leave their roles and let professionals to take over.
Vic Ritchie you not using your real name i googled it. can not find anyone with that name, talk about the pot calling the kettle black!!! you are a coward! why don’t you post your real name and address like you tell everyone else
What’s with the anonymous comments on here? If you don’t have the balls to attach your name to your comment then you are nothing but a coward and don’t deserve to be able to have say on this site! Doctors & nurses are constantly asking for more money to fix a problem that is either caused by lack of knowledge on how to triage patients or just because they feel it’s the easy way out to blame someone else(like the government) and ask for more money because the people will be easily led astray! More money can’t fix stupidity or those that lack training or knowledge, so is someone dies on your watch then it’s your fault not others and surely not the UCP because all they seem to do is dump money into an endless pit that the people there keep refusing to take proper training for the jobs!
So are doctors now saying that the only way this triaging of patients can be fixed is with lots more money? How about we just have people in hospitals like doctors & nurses start doing proper triaging of patients? Sick and tired of hearing we don’t have enough people to do our jobs properly! Doctors say they have too much work to do because they have to enter all the personal information from the patients visits but yet they keep adding clients onto each other. Maybe with fewer patients they can keep up but then there are those doctors that have figured out technology and are doing just fine! Remember this is your private practice that the government heavily subsidizes anyway so you make the changes you need to speed things up! But as for the hospitals these deaths are on those t
Hat work there for not doing a proper job in the first place so get with the program or get out!
The Smith government of CORRUPTNESS doesnt care about the people of alberta and our public healthcare, she fills her purse by the private health companies as she DESTROYS PUBLIC HEALTH.
I hope they leave. IT would be hilarious. And then UCPers a year later would blame Justin and his socks. They’re really smart.
People are dying for no reason except Danielle Smith is in “Charge” of our hospitals and her thoughts are on herself.
But moron Gene wants to talk about anyone else. He’s clearly nuts.
@Laurie: Europe has a blended system??? The Scandanavians went stupid and went private?
Nope. More horzezhit from Laurie.
Perhaps Alberta’s separatist loving premier should pay attention to these matters rather than her dreams of glory.
This is not the first & this is not an Alberta problem is a structural & system problem. We need to stop defaulting to the mythical American who lost his house because of a hospital bill. We only have to look at the exceedingly better outcomes of the European nations with a blended system. Best practices and better result not ideology save lives and eases suffering,
If AB NDP become Govt again, will Sarah Hoffman also be the Minister of Health for the second. She is a symbol of true physical fitness.There must be almost 1000lbs between Nenshi and her
Are we ready to vote in NDP? I mean just look at that last conference they had a lot of good people ready to run the province.
All Newfoes and trash from elbows up Ontario should pay a tax to move to Alberta
maybe stop having all the trash move to Alberta from other provinces, and all the millions of new Canadians arrive here bring all they family’s clogging up the system . you need to stop wrecking it here for us
UCPers blame everyone but the leader of the province. Maybe the dog catcher should run the hospital? Why is Smith here?
UCPers here diverting of course like they do. People are dying and Smith spends their hospital bed taxes on her stupid as hell referendums that don’t mean a thing.
BC Healthcare is horrible. I go to Seattle for all my health needs.
Did NDP under Notley promise to fix healthcare in Alberta. It got worse under her socialist governance
Albertans move here and complain and complain and complain. A : if you don’t like it go back and B : I’ve had great care and always have. Must of gone down hill when you guys arrived?!!!
If BC Healthcare is worse its because the Albertans moving here! Period. End of conversation.
@Anon. BC Healthcare is even worse than AB.
What does an Alberta referendum have to to the AHS. Must be a bunch of NDP supporters that can’t admit Notley was a total failure as Premier
Susan Thompkins,
My thoughts exactly!
Well Said!
Let’s have more referendums! More dumb azz recall petitions!
Anything but health care! Then she’ll blame someone else for sure.
Of course troll Sue has no url or facts to share. Just her bullzhit.
@UCPer: That’s why people die in waiting rooms while Smith goes to BC for her health care?
Nice referendum fortune blown though.
Alberta healthcare has improved under the UCP. It was awful under the NDP. Having said that, it is a best mediocre and lots of work (not money) needs to completed to improve to out of date system.
Canada needs to reform its archaic healthcare system that mimics Cuba and North Korea. Also, why are the Drs. and Nirses managing these facilities not held accountable for poor performance and lack of outcomes. Why is Canada such a laggard on healthcare against peer nations in the OECD.
@ John: Another bullzhitter that doesn’t even know that hospitals are provincially funded, unless you are Smith spending that money on referendums.
@A: “anti-Albertans?”: That would be you if you think this is normal. Wait times going way up while Danielle spends tax dollars on her dumb azz referendums.
Keep babbling for the lawyers goof.
All these anti-Albertans screaming about Smith. After billions put into healthcare by Notley, what did that accomplish? May look at the 2-3,000,000 immigrants that the liberals have let into the country, many coming from areas with zero medical coverage. But of course, its all Danielle’s fault.
Carney and the Liberals have cut funding to all provinces for their healthcare systems and gave it for EV plants that got cut wasting billions
Oh well, at least Smith has guaranteed more wildfires this year after laying off our fire helicopter crews.
Just don’t get burned.
Who needs hospitals?
Smith has referendums.
Money well blown on zhit.
Hey nope: Nice try goof but hospitals are under Smith. You’re phucked.
Parents know not to send kids to med school in Alberta. What for? Smith cuts them.
Better to be a lawyer here. Lots of work under Smith.
@Nope phuck off stupid. This is Smith.
Everyone knows not to get sick where DaniQ is spending all the medical taxes on court costs for her stupidity instead. Referendums, recalls, notwithstanding clauses, all the money for her lawyer friends.
Alberta needs to build more hospitals two in the north, two in the south.
Why did it take 9 days to report to the public about the second death in the Edmonton emergency department. May 8 it occurred . Now it’s May 17. Almost 10 days since the incident. Why the hush!🤫. Details are not disclosed. Why?
the Alberta gov is borrowing1.6 billion more this year and the health care doesn’t get better. why borrow to fix a system that cant handle the population. we have to except that if you get sick your not gonna have good service. theres no amount of borrowing thay can fix it. the population grows too fast and thats not going to stop because we dont control immigration. that’s the un that decides. so just except it. gooo carney
Yet Marl Carney continues to cut healthcare country wide. This is why we need choice in healthcare more than ever. The public system failed us.
Canada rates poorly against peer countries in the OECD when it comes to healthcare delivery and services with wait time that are causing untold suffering and death. It isn’t because of a lack of money. The whole system needs to be reformed.
Should consider giving “epinephrine” injection in emergency-especially heart related problem.
Once again censorship will not allow the truth. F*CK YOU GLOBAL! This is becoming a NATIONAL CRISIS AND ARE COMPLICIT IN IT! MEDIA SITES LIKE GLOBAL HAVE BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS. THEY HAVE CAUSED THIS RIFT! Facsim and greed, a few pieces of silver to coat your greedy hands.
Politicians doing what they do , pass the buck , Canada’s immigration under the Liberals have proved to be the biggest detriment in every aspect to this beleagured country .
I wonder how many emergency room staff could be hired for the cost of Marlaina’s referendums and surveys and tours around Alberta where she asks what people want and then ignores them.
or is it that these hospital CEO’s are not properly staffing the departments
Alberta healthcare was never designed all you a holes from other provinces moving here, and all the new Canadians going in with a stubbed toe, want to help fix it , move go back where you came from
“Adriana La Grange” and “UCP Danielle Smith” are 2 Corrupt peas in a Pod!
They made sure that
“Athana Mentzelopoulous” was Fired since she blew the whistle on their Corrupt Care Scandal.
MHCare Medical Corp
An Edmonton-based medical-supply company formed during the pandemic. It is owned by businessman Sam Mraiche and has been awarded approximately $614-million in contracts by Alberta Health Services since 2020. Its $70-million contract to import children’s medication from Turkey is one of the deals at the heart of the controversy. The company’s Edmonton office was searched by the RCMP in March. MHCare denies any wrongdoing.
Healthcare just like housing is overwhelmed as our population has exploded thanks to insane immigration levels, mostly from India, China, Africa and the Philippines.
Carnage Carney continues this insanity.
More of destructive Dani’s work!!!
I really don’t care you whiny people.
Keep letting more and more people into our Country resulting in overwhelmed healthcare, no jobs, too little housing and overcrowded schools. But don’t we good on the world stage.
The article implies that patients are not triaged. If so, what planet are these people on ? In most other countries, triage is standard protocol. Has been for decades. Puts Canadian medical services in a poor light.
People are on waiting lists to get necessary knee surgery. Accidental knee injuries that are survivable shouldn’t get any more priority than others. A week’s wait is nothing.
Absolutely disgusting! Fix this NOW!
The real white elephant in the room: Flooding the country with millions newcomers has overwhelmed the infrastructure including the essential services to a breaking point
The NDP threw tens of billions of dollars at health care when they were in power. Did anyone see a major improvement? No. We need a total overhaul of our health system. Copy the efficient systems of other countries. But we cannot because of the Canadian Health Act which limits health delivery to government only.
This doctor is giving out “false” information when it comes to doctors knowing when a person who presents with many of the same symptoms as other illnesses know who is going to die in the next few hours – for various reasons. Emergency does the BEST IT CAN with patient symptoms and SOME TESTS. Example, I was in a car accident and had pain in my side. Xrays were taken and the emerg doctor said everything was fine and sent me home. A few days later and the pain in the same side was bad so family doc sent me for more xrays. Three broken ribs BUT the SWELLING hid the breaks and only showed when the swelling went down. Here is why sometimes doctors in emerg are wrong.
And the AHS will howl that they need more more more more money. More money to waste to do much much less.
Welcome to austerity Canada. This is what you voted for the last decade.
It is going to get MUCH worse.
Hope you can tend a garden.