Alberta orders fatality investigation into man’s death in Edmonton emergency room
A fatality investigation has been ordered into the death of a 44-year-old man who died while waiting to see a doctor in an Edmonton emergency department.
At a press conference Thursday, Alberta’s hospitals minister announced an independent, judge-led investigation as well as the creation of a new triage contact physician role at hospitals in Calgary and Edmonton.
Prashant Sreekumar, 44, died inside the emergency department of Edmonton’s Gray Nuns Community Hospital on December 22. His family says he waited for nearly eight hours to see a doctor about chest pain.
Alberta’s Minister of Hospitals and Surgical Health Services Matt Jones said Thursday an investigation into the death is needed because there are questions about the case.
“While system-level reforms are underway, there should also be a detailed, independent and public review of how the specific case was managed,” he said. “We owe this to his family and all Albertans.”
The investigation into the death will release public findings and recommendations, Jones said.
“I need to fully understand the circumstances surrounding Mr. Sreekumar’s death, and I still have questions that need to be answered. … This will be a public, transparent and independent process conducted by a judge, and I want to see that process completed.”
The family of a man who died while waiting to see a doctor at an Edmonton hospital says the province is responding. The government says it is now looking into the deaths, and implementing other changes to reduce hospital capacity and support patients waiting for care.
Craig Gillespie, a Calgary-based lawyer representing Sreekumar’s wife, said the inquest could make a difference when Albertans, including the family, get answers.
“People understand that no one goes to work expecting a bad day or a bad outcome, but unfortunately for the families who experience this, it doesn’t change what happened to them,” Gillespie said. “It’s a real challenge and it’s a real problem, and it’s the families and other people who are forced to go through this.”
new triage physician
Jones said a quality assurance review completed by Acute Care Alberta after Sreekumar’s death resulted in immediate changes to improve care on the front lines.
A new pilot project will deploy new triage contact physicians to Alberta’s busiest emergency departments in Calgary and Edmonton, including Gray Nunn.
“There is no doubt that the pressures in the system, and particularly in the emergency department at Gray Nuns on December 22, impacted care,” Jones said.
Aaron Low, chief medical officer of Acute Care Alberta, said the new contact physicians will work with triage nurses, provide some care to patients in the waiting room and help identify those who “can’t wait.”
Dr. Brian Wirzba, president of the Alberta Medical Association, said while contact physician positions can positively impact busy emergency departments, it may not be the best way to address capacity concerns.
“It’s like a Band-Aid. It’s an important Band-Aid, but it’s not dealing with the root cause. … We can’t discharge patients as effectively as we’d like,” Wierzba said.
Low said he would not speak directly to all the recommendations made by the quality assurance review. The proceedings are “protected” and details will remain confidential, he said.
The current strain on Alberta’s emergency departments has caused widespread concern to physicians across the province, who have called on the province to declare a formal state of emergency due to overcrowding.
Wirzba said the Alberta Medical Association has not called for a state of emergency itself, noting that the province already has the authority to address concerns.
“They don’t need extraordinary powers to deal with this. We’re just asking that they use those powers in the right way to actually fix the problem,” Wirzba said.
A’s call crisis
Alberta health officials said at a news conference that pressure on the acute care system is beginning to ease. Jones said hospitals, particularly in Calgary and Edmonton, have experienced “significant pressure” in recent weeks.
He said officials believe the worst of the flu season has passed and efforts to better manage the increased number of patients are working.
“The pressure on the hospital and the emergency department is very real,” Jones said. “Along with seasonal increases in respiratory virus seasonality, our higher population growth, our aging and more medically complex population, and even cold weather exacerbate these pressures.”
Earlier this week, the agency said it was working to create additional capacity with measures that include dedicating 336 beds for flu patients, expediting patient discharges when possible and opening designated surge space to manage increased demand.
According to David Diamond, interim CEO of Acute Care Alberta, the number of patients admitted to the province’s major hospitals is at 102 per cent, which includes temporary and additional spaces currently open to meet increased demand.
He said respiratory virus hospital admissions have dropped from a peak of 995 in late December to 675 today.
Despite some relief, he said, the system is facing “continued pressure” and it may take some time for the system to recover from the increase in the number of patients.
Doctors are demanding an immediate response to improve patient care as hospitals across the province grapple with staffing and capacity issues.
Dr. Paul Parks, chair-elect of the emergency medicine section of the Alberta Medical Association, has called on the provincial government to declare a state of emergency to ensure better management of the patient population.
Doctors have also called for better coordination and leadership within Alberta’s health-care system, which has undergone a sweeping restructuring.
In a statement released Monday, the Alberta Medical Association said overflowing emergency departments are causing patients to suffer
According to the association, Alberta’s hospitals have been operating at more than 110 per cent capacity for more than a year, while the number of patients leaving emergency departments without being seen has increased by nearly 77 per cent from 2019 to 2024.
Jones said Alberta’s health-care system requires both long-term capital and workforce strategies, so plans are not reactionary and not politicized.
“I believe that before today, frankly, more (health care) capacity could have been built over years and decades. But the government deals with competing priorities across the board.”
The system’s needs are complex and the province is taking steps to ensure the capacity is there if needed in the future, Jones said.
