Edmonton doctor says overcrowding at Grey Nuns hospital not solved by hiring more physicians

EDMONTON · An Edmonton doctor testified that simply hiring more physicians will not fix the chronic overcrowding at Grey Nuns Community Hospital. Dr. Greg Hrynchyshyn told a fatality inquiry on Thursday that the hospital's five general medicine units have consistently had more patients than beds since at least 2024. He said the facility faces a physical limit on the care it can provide. The inquiry is investigating the death of Prashant Sreekumar, a 44-year-old man who died on Dec. 22, 2025, after waiting roughly eight hours in the emergency room with chest pain.

Hrynchyshyn, an internal medicine specialist, said open beds in the hospital's medicine units are extremely rare. He explained that caps are in place to prevent doctors from being assigned more patients than they can safely manage, and these limits were active when Sreekumar died. According to medical literature, a single doctor can typically oversee about 18 to 20 patients, depending on how sick they are. Despite this guideline, physicians are required to care for everyone admitted to their unit, even if the total exceeds that number.

The overcrowding problem is compounded because many patients who are ready to leave cannot be discharged. Hrynchyshyn estimated that between 20 and 30 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by people waiting for other services. These patients may need long-term care, supportive housing, rehabilitation, or home-care support. Discharge is often delayed, especially on weekends, when access to assessments, diagnostic tests, and care arrangements is limited. "We need the same supports on Saturday and Sunday as I have on Tuesday and Wednesday," Hrynchyshyn said.

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Kimberly Nickoriuk of Assisted Living Alberta testified on Friday that continuing care facilities across the province always have waitlists. She said spaces typically only become available when a current resident passes away. Her organization manages waitlists and placements for approximately 31,000 continuing care spaces. When a hospital is over capacity, patients inside that hospital can be moved to the front of the line for a placement, ahead of people waiting in the community.

Lana Chivers, a Covenant Health official overseeing emergency care at two Edmonton hospitals, said the Grey Nuns' overall occupancy was about 101 per cent in 2025 and has risen since. She echoed other witnesses in describing the challenges of bed shortages and delayed discharges. Another doctor, Warren Thirsk, told the inquiry earlier in the week that Alberta's emergency system is in a prolonged crisis. He said the city's population has grown significantly over his career without a matching increase in hospital infrastructure. Thirsk added that cases like Sreekumar's occur more often than the public knows, but confidentiality rules usually prevent doctors from discussing them. Sreekumar's family chose to make his death public, drawing attention to his long wait for care. The inquiry, led by Justice Randal Brandt, has been adjourned and will resume in December with more witnesses.

With files from The Canadian Press and CBC News