Emergency Room waits increase
Posted Jan 25, 2010 7:57 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Albertans are waiting longer in hospital emergency room than they were just two years ago.
A report from The Health Quality Council of Alberta says waits in urban E.R.s rose significantly just between 2007 and 2009.
Despite having to cool their heels for so long, most patients say their care has been good.
Dr. John Carroll with the Health Quality Council agrees our emergency rooms are crowded, but people aren’t just going to the hospital for no reason, like a minor cough or cold.
Dr. Carroll believed as the health regions were amalgamated we would see wait time numbers fall, but that wasn’t the case.
He says the lack of community based round-the-clock healthcare is a big reason for people’s attendance in emergency rooms.
He adds the health minister’s decision to reverse the closure of acute care beds could go a long way towards easing the wait times.
