Albertans know from recent news that physicians are sounding the alarm about overflowing emergency departments, blocked access and patient care at risk. This occurs as the AMA continues to work with government to find solutions while physicians and health teams serve patients 24/7 in our hospitals. As our members have been speaking out, we support them.
Management science shows most failures come from broken systems—not the people working in them. Physicians have an ethical and professional duty to advocate for their patients. When appropriate channels for raising concerns fail, speaking out publicly is the only tool they have at their disposal. This is not intended to create difficulties for decision makers. It is their last resort.
If conditions are dire enough that doctors are speaking bluntly to the media, we all need to listen. Our acute care system is not well. The current situation has exceeded normal operating parameters for acute care, as clearly evidenced by multiple data points being shared in the public domain.
- For more than a year, Alberta hospitals have run over 110% capacity.
- The number of patients leaving the emergency department without being seen has increased approximately 77% from 2019 to 2024.
- Rural hospitals are also strained, but available data for EDs in the seven major cities shows the average of the median wait times to see a doctor (for patients assessed as urgent) increased 70% from Q4 2022 to Q4 2025.
Physicians want to reduce patient suffering through increased capacity and better outcomes. They are advocating publicly so solutions can be found.
The first step is restoring system resilience by reestablishing clear accountability for provincial operational integration. This includes confirming provincial health agency accountability for patient flow and surge capacity within and between care-delivery corridors and across service providers. Loss of this capability has significantly contributed to today’s crisis. While service providers like AHS or Covenant have authority over patient flow in their own facilities, a disaggregated system with “local leadership” cannot manage patient volumes across a geographic region to avoid overcrowding or rapidly expand capacity to help the system quickly and efficiently handle sustained spikes in demand. Managing flow among major urban hospitals is only part of the solution; we must also ensure coordinated movement out to rural and regional centres, subacute and rehabilitation facilities, long-term care and community settings with strengthened supports.
Physicians are ready to help, but they need the appropriate regional and provincial forums to bring concerns forward for action. There are physician leaders in this province who have previously provided outstanding expertise to provincial patient care coordination for Alberta’s population. Ultimately, government is responsible for the health of Albertans—and right now, that means reestablishing the structures, roles, authority and accountability in the refocused health system.
The first step to solve a problem is acknowledging there is one.