The South Health Campus adult acute care hospital in Calgary is seen on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Pollsters have said health care, along with the economy and trust, are key issues with Alberta voters. (Photo: Canadian Press)

By David Opinko/ with files from The Canadian Press

Health Care

Calgary ER doctors sound alarm over ‘capacity crisis’

May 24, 2023 | 6:14 PM

CALGARY, AB – An open letter from 180 emergency room doctors in Calgary says the health system is crumbling.

The doctors say the signs of a capacity crisis are everywhere.

“As emergency doctors, we have front-row seats to a critical system-wide health care crisis in Alberta. Despite our best efforts to provide comprehensive and accessible care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we are increasingly unable to do so,” say the doctors in the open letter. “We are writing this letter to add our voices to the growing concerns of the state of health care in our province and as a call for action.”

The medical professionals add that a combination of factors led to this situation, including the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and “unfortunate and untimely government policy.” The three critical areas of concern they feel are impacting patient care are a lack of access to primary care, a lack of hospital beds, and critical health care labour shortages.

Alberta Medical Association (AMA) President Dr. Fredrykka Rinaldi said patients are having to wait up to 15 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor in Calgary.

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“Health care is a disaster and I don’t think that’s unique here. It’s across the country,” said Rinaldi. “There’s a shortage of health-care professionals … there are about 650,000 Albertans without a family physician, which means they go to the ER, which is way more expensive.”

She states Calgary is far from the only community in Alberta faced with a health care crisis.

Earlier this month, a group of emergency room doctors at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge issued a similar open letter, saying staffing in the department was “in a crisis” for both physicians and nurses.

Rinaldi is asking all provincial political parties vying for votes to recognize the current health care crisis.

The letter from the Calgary doctors states, “It is our sincere hope that whoever forms the next government will begin the process of repair, starting with the restoration of what was once a respectful relationship with frontline health care workers.”

United Conservative Party Leader Danielle Smith said that on her watch as premier, surgical wait times have been cut and new rules have reduced ambulance bottlenecks at the doors of emergency wards.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley retorted that Smith needs to put down the spreadsheet and take a look at the overstuffed emergency departments and long wait lists at primary care clinics.

Notley said health care deteriorated badly under the UCP government. She has promised to spend $400 million to hire more health workers and $350 million to create 40 teams of health specialists to provide more comprehensive primary care province-wide if her party is elected.

“Our health care has been thrown into chaos by the UCP,” Notley said. “[The UCP] will tell you they fixed it, but Albertans aren’t feeling it and they’re not buying it.”

The UCP government replaced the AHS board with a single administrator. Smith has said streamlined decision-making and adding more chartered surgical facilities has allowed the province to substantially reduce those backlogs.

“We talked to doctors and nurses and paramedics on the front lines. We listened to them and we implemented their ideas and, guess what, it’s working,” said Smith.

Advance voting for the provincial election is now open and continues until Saturday, May 27, 2023. The general voting day is Monday, May 29.