Emergency doctor warns Alberta’s ER system in crisis as fatality inquiry reveals delays
Dr. Warren Thirsk testified that deaths like Prashant Sreekumar’s, who died after an eight-hour wait for aortic dissection care, are becoming common in Alberta emergency rooms.
During a Court of Justice-led fatality inquiry into the Dec. 22, 2025 death of Prashant Sreekumar, who succumbed to an aortic dissection after an eight-hour wait at Grey Nuns Hospital, emergency doctor Warren Thirsk warned that such tragedies are increasingly typical in Alberta. He explained that what once was a “horrifically bad” four-hour wait is now seen as acceptable, with some patients waiting up to four days before being seen.
Thirsk linked the crisis to chronic shortages of beds, physicians and support staff, citing the 1990s Barer-Stoddart Report’s recommendation to cut medical-school slots, which reduced class sizes from 250 to 100. He said the province is trying to hire 30 emergency physicians but has received fewer applications, and that rural ERs are closing. Thirsk also criticized the UCP government for cancelling a new south-Edmonton hospital, leaving the city’s bed-to-population ratio comparable to Mexico and Costa Rica. Justice Randal Brandt asked about quick fixes, but Thirsk said “low-hanging fruit” has long been a fantasy.
Why it matters
It highlights a growing emergency-room crisis that threatens patient safety across Alberta.
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