The Alberta NDP caucus called on the UCP government on Sunday to address concerns raised by Alberta doctors about overcrowded hospitals. "Albertans are seeing crisis after crisis in our hospitals and emergency rooms," reads the statement from Sarah Hoffman, Alberta’s New Democrat Shadow Minister for Hospital and Surgical Health Facilities. "Hospitals are overcrowded, wait times are out of control, and many patients are there because cold and flu viruses are circulating widely across the province."Concerns about overcrowded hospitals and extended wait times were amplified in December following the death of Prashant Sreekumar, a 44-year-old father, who died of cardiac arrest while waiting in the ER at Grey Nuns Community Hospital for eight hours before receiving treatment. .Whether the answer comes from one of the four ministers responsible for overseeing an aspect of the healthcare system, from Premier Danielle Smith, or from the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the NDP believes Albertans deserve answers."Albertans deserve so much better than what we’ve seen in the past month and we can’t afford more delays, excuses, or lack of action—lives are literally at risk," the NDP's statement reads.Dr. Vivien Suttorp, Chief Medical Officer of Health, will provide Albertans with an update on the state of the respiratory virus season on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m..The Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health Services issued a statement to the Western Standard on Jan. 8, following initial calls from Alberta ER doctors urging the province to declare a state of emergency to address extended hospital wait times. "We acknowledge that long emergency department wait times remain a serious concern," reads the statement. "Like other provinces, Alberta is experiencing higher patient volumes due to respiratory virus season. "An early and unusually large flu spike in mid-December added pressure to hospitals with more patients requiring care and hospitalization that we're currently seeing." Despite current challenges, the provincial government is "cautiously optimistic" that, although facilities will remain busy, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
