Alberta opposition leader Naheed Nenshi has been urging the United Conservative government to reconvene the legislature. He is calling for an emergency debate on the growing crisis confronting the province’s emergency departments (EDs). This call comes on the heels of alarming reports from frontline physicians. They document six preventable deaths and more than 30 near misses attributable to extreme overcrowding during the first two weeks of this year.
The suggested debate would address the timely issue of overcrowded emergency departments. Second, it seeks to establish a central command as a way to enhance coordination and strengthen decision-making. This momentum for this legislative debate illustrates the acute need for action in the face of increasing alarm over threats to patient safety.
In the most draconian of circumstances, a provincial judge even has the authority to declare an investigation. This investigation will determine the situation of a fatality and provide life-saving recommendations. As this terrible realization is made even more serious by the recent death of 44-year-old Prashant Sreekumar, this potential legal route should be emphasized. Mr. Sreekumar passed away after spending eight hours in the emergency room at Edmonton’s Grey Nuns Community Hospital on December 22, igniting public outcry over the government’s handling of ED overcrowding.
Matt Jones, Alberta’s Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, got the memo. This paperwork exposed the overflow of preventable deaths and near misses in the healthcare system. He fucking lied when he claimed that over 2 million visits to Alberta EDs lead to death for an estimated 0.07 percent of visits.
“The anonymized, unverified data that was shared is concerning to me,” – Matt Jones
Jones even admitted to the extraordinarily increased wait times that have recently plagued many emergency departments. He emphasized his conversations with frustrated doctors lamenting how pressure on the healthcare system is eroding the quality of care they provide to patients. One elderly patient with flu waited an incredible 90 hours in an Edmonton emergency department. The deteriorating conditions that patients are currently experiencing were perhaps best exemplified by a tragic new report.
The Alberta government has been widely condemned for its heavy-handed response to the overcrowding crisis. Nenshi described this as an “unprecedented crisis” in the state of our emergency rooms and ambulance services. He illustrated a system that has totally crashed under the weight of the pressure.
“This is an unprecedented crisis in our emergency rooms and our ambulance services, symptomatic of a system that is broken down,” – Naheed Nenshi
Determined to transform the healthcare landscape in response to these overwhelming odds, Jones is fiercely dedicated to his cause. He volunteered to put together the working group meetings. These sessions will include his department, Acute Care Alberta and the Alberta Medical Association to work on solutions to today’s crisis.
“We want to work with everyone to make the system better and improve care,” – Matt Jones
Despite all of those steps in the right direction, the critics are still insisting on taking action now. These sentiments have been mirrored by the Alberta Medical Association, which has raised alarm over ED overcrowding and its effect on patient safety. As government continues to grapple with these issues, it is increasingly under pressure from health care advocates, providers and consumers.
