Emergency room wait times in Alberta are not improving, according to a new study from Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), which claims median wait times in Alberta are consistent with last year's.Alberta's median emergency room wait times are three hours and 48 minutes, but has increased over the past five years by 54 minutes. In other provinces, the shortest wait with a median range of two hours and 45 minutes was Newfoundland, the longest five hours and 23 minutes in Quebec. MEI's director of research, Krystle Wittevrongel, claims that wait times, "...cause needless pain and distress." "And it remains important to understand that, even within the province, wait times can vary tremendously." For example, the University of Alberta Hospital recorded the longest in the province at eight hours and 30 minutes..In other hospitals in Edmonton the issue is the same. MEI cites the Misericordia Community Hospital has a median wait time of seven hours and 54 minutes, and the Royal Alexandra Hospital, seven hours and 42 minutes, "Having to spend long hours waiting in an emergency room may be the norm in Alberta, but in other developed countries, it isn't," Wittevrongel said.The report suggests suggests a model of independently-operated medical care centres, similar to what France has for low-priority emergency cases.
