Almost 200 Alberta ER doctors have signed the letter, which was released via a NDP news release
“Our emergency departments are collapsing and front-line health-care workers have truly had enough. We cannot bear to watch our patients suffer any longer with no end in sight,” reads the letter signed by 190 ER doctors, shared with media via an Alberta NDP news release.
The physicians blame government policy for destabilizing primary care, leaving an estimated 650,000 Albertans without a family doctor. They say the “future looks bleak” for family doctors in Alberta, pointing to 42 residency vacancies in the province going unfilled after the first round of matching this year.
“This is compared to British Columbia having just two spots unfilled and Saskatchewan having none,” they wrote.
The doctors also point to a lack of beds and critical labour shortages at hospitals, stating “signs of a capacity crisis are everywhere.” They noted wait times have skyrocketed, with some waiting up to 15 hours to see a doctor in the ER.
“These patients often become sicker while waiting. We worry about these patients every shift,” they wrote. “It is now common to have 40 to 50 people waiting to be seen by a doctor at any given time in any of our emergency waiting rooms. Frail, elderly patients languish on stretchers in hospital hallways. Patients with mental-health crises are housed in the emergency room, often for several days, while awaiting in-patient beds.”
The doctors are demanding swift action from whichever party takes power in the May 29 election, stating a need for the government and Alberta Health Services to recognize and remedy the ongoing crisis.
“It is our sincere hope that whomever forms the next government will begin the process of repair, starting with the restoration of what was once a respectful relationship with front-line health-care workers,” they wrote.
Smith says we’re ‘seeing results’ while NDP cries foul
The doctors are demanding swift action from whichever party takes power in the May 29 election, stating a need for the government and Alberta Health Services to recognize and remedy the ongoing crisis.
“It is our sincere hope that whomever forms the next government will begin the process of repair, starting with the restoration of what was once a respectful relationship with front-line health-care workers,” they wrote.
Throughout the election, UCP Leader Danielle Smith has touted her government’s track record on health care over the course of her six-month premiership. She said she made health care reform a top priority when she took over the role last October and pointed to the recent streamlining of AHS and contracting of surgeries to reduce surgical backlog as notable successes in that realm. Ambulance wait times and red alerts — issued when no ambulances are available to respond to 911 calls in a given area — have also improved through the beginning of 2023.
“We got to work talking to nurses, doctors, paramedics, other health front-line health professionals, and we’re implementing their ideas, and we’re already seeing results,” Smith said Wednesday morning.