- The 44-year-old Indian-origin man died after an eight-hour wait in an Edmonton hospital
- Canada faces a severe shortage of doctors and nurses affecting emergency and primary care
- Over 5.9 million Canadians lack access to regular primary care providers, says CMA study
The death of a 44-year-old Indian origin man in Canada -- who allegedly passed away without receiving emergency care despite an eight-hour wait at an Edmonton hospital -- has put focus on the Canadian healthcare system, which is running on fumes due to a severe shortage of doctors, leaving millions of people in the country struggling to access essential primary and specialist care.
Prashant Sreekumar reportedly died of suspected cardiac arrest on December 22 while waiting for treatment at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton. An accountant by profession, Sreekumar was taken to the hospital after he experienced severe chest pains while at work. At the hospital, he was checked in at triage and then made to sit in the waiting room. During this time, the only medical assistance he received was doses of Tylenol to manage the pain.
After more than eight hours, Sreekumar was finally called into the treatment area, where he collapsed within seconds in what was apparently a cardiac arrest, according to his family members. Nurses tried to resuscitate him, but Sreekumar died of an apparent cardiac arrest, leaving behind his wife and three children, ages three, 10 and 14.
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Canadian Healthcare Under Stress
Sreekumar's death brought the focus to a serious failure in emergency care delivery in Canada and points to deeper systemic shortcomings within the country's healthcare system. For years, surveys have pointed to a steadily increasing wait time in hospital emergency rooms across the country.
According to a recent study conducted by the Canadian Medical Association, over 5.9 million Canadian adults, or about 1 in 5 individuals, don't have access to regular primary care providers like clinics, family physicians and nurse practitioners. The same study also found that although 81 per cent of Canadians have access to primary care providers, only about 36.9 per cent of individuals were able to get an urgent appointment within 24 hours.
It found that 22.8 per cent of those who tried to get an urgent appointment had to wait 2 or more weeks or were never able to get one.
In emergency medical care, the principle of the "Golden Hour", or the 60 minutes after a severe injury or medical event (like a stroke or heart attack), is critical, as prompt medical intervention during this time can offer the best chance to save a life, prevent complications, and ensure full recovery, emphasising rapid response, treatment (like controlling bleeding and securing airways), and transport to definitive care to maximise survival chances.
Seen from an emergency care lens, the eight-hour wait in Sreekumar's case points to a deeper systemic failure of Canada's emergency care delivery.
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How Canada's Healthcare System Operates
Canada's Medicare system is a publicly funded, universal healthcare model that covers medically necessary hospital and doctor services, delivered by provinces under the Canada Health Act of 1984, to all citizens and permanent residents. It covers around 70 per cent of all healthcare needs for Canadians, with the remaining 30 per cent (including procedures related to dentistry, eye care, psychotherapy, and gender therapy) provided by private operators.
But a federal government report released in January found that Canada's labour market was short of nearly 23,000 family doctors.
Filling this gap would require a 49 per cent increase from the current number of family physicians. But the challenge does not stop at doctors. Ottawa needs 28,000 more registered nurses, 14,000 more licensed practical nurses, 2,700 more nurse practitioners, and thousands more health professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and pharmacists, the report found.
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According to a Statistics Canada report, the country is facing an acute shortage of nurses, with 42,045 nursing vacancies in the second quarter of 2024, a staggering 147 per cent increase over five years.
Moreover, Canada has just 2.8 practising physicians per 1,000 population, well below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 3.7 per 1,000. This leads to an increase in average wait times for specialist appointments in Canada, with many forced to wait for more than a month for a specialist appointment.
And while Canada faces this dire healthcare crisis, tens of thousands of qualified, internationally educated healthcare professionals (IEHPs) already living in the country aren't working in their profession due to a fragmented licensing system and copious red tape.
