Alberta hospitals must admit patients to prevent ER backlogs, says review into Edmonton man's death

To facilitate preclude a backlog of patients in exigency rooms, Alberta hospitals should non crest the number of patients who can be admitted to wards, says a review completed in the wake of a 44-year-old Edmonton man’s death in an ER.

Acute Care Alberta (ACA) released a list of 16 recommendations on Thursday after investigating the circumstances surrounding Prashant Sreekumar’s death on Dec. 22 in the Grey Nuns Community Hospital ER. The report confirms his family’s account that he waited eight hours with chest pain before having a “critical cardiovascular event.”

In a news release, ACA said the quality assurance review outlines “systemic improvements that can be made both at the site and across the acute care system to help promote better outcomes and prevent similar events from occurring.”

It is not intended to cast blame.

The report, which does not name Sreekumar, said the patient received care through a “nurse-initiated protocol,” and was moved to a treatment space after waiting for eight hours. It is unclear if a physician saw him.

She described how Prashant was given ibuprofen after arriving at the ER and never got the chance to see a doctor.

“We took him to the treatment [space]. He sat down on the couch. He got up, he said, ‘Niharika, I’m dizzy,’ and he collapsed right in my hands,” Niharika said.

“I live that nightmare every single second.”

She said no one from the Alberta government has reached out to her.

“If they are ready to face me, then I’m also ready to face them," Niharika said. "And we’re going to talk then, because this report is a joke of Prashant’s death.”

The mother of three said it has been gut-wrenching losing her husband.

“Had it not been for my children, I honestly wished I could have died that same night with Prashant,” she said.

The three-page report is dated Jan. 14, 2026. On Jan. 15, Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones held a news conference with ACA officials. They announced Alberta's government has ordered a fatality inquiry into Sreekumar’s death, as Jones had “questions that need to be answered.”

The inquiry is scheduled to take place in Edmonton during one week in October and a second week in December.

In January, Jones also announced the government would introduce triage liaison physicians at the ERs of six major Edmonton and Calgary hospitals to help spot patients whose health is deteriorating while they wait.

Although talks with the Alberta Medical Association are scheduled, emergency doctors aren’t yet working in the triage roles, due to disagreements about liability protection and working conditions.

The ACA report released Thursday recommends using a triage doctor model to support nurses, reduce patient wait times to see a doctor, and to cut the number of patients who leave ERs without being seen.

It recommends that if no triage doctor is available, the ER should designate a physician to support nurses with clinical concerns or medical tests.

The review recommends Jones’ ministry make a long-term model and capital plan for the health system that prioritizes the Edmonton region and allows hospital occupancy to get down to between 85 and 90 per cent.

ACA did not answer a question about Alberta hospital occupancy rates now. In January, they were more than 100 per cent full.

The review says an electrocardiogram technician should be on the job at the Grey Nuns’ ER around the clock, and that temporary nursing positions at that hospital’s ER should be converted to permanent jobs.

The report notes that the hospital’s operator, Covenant Health, will have to “secure capital and permanent operational funding” to act on some recommendations.

Hospitals should also review and update nurses’ protocols for responding to patients with chest pain, it said.

Spokespeople for ACA and Covenant Health did not immediately respond to a list of questions on Thursday afternoon.

"All reported adverse patient events are taken seriously," the statement read. "Established review processes including the Reporting and Learning System, Quality Assurance Reviews, internal provider reviews, investigations by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and, when warranted, fatality inquiries are in place to identify contributing factors and guide system improvements."

Following Sreekumar’s death, ER doctors said problems like ER crowding, staffing and a lack of space are widespread. They released a list of other cases where they say they believe patients may have died or suffered serious harm because they waited for care.

Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi told reporters at the legislature that the recommendations show one of the busiest ERs in the province is underfunded, and a corporate rearrangement of the province’s health system has made the situation worse.

Nenshi said he believes the government has failed by not getting triage liaison physicians in place by the promised start date of Feb. 1.

“This is the government we've got, and people deserve so much better, and Mr. Sreekumar's family deserves so much better,” he said.

Nenshi said he believes the government erred by cancelling a planned hospital in south Edmonton. He also criticized the government for blaming temporary residents and population growth for putting pressure on public services.

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