Photo of Dr. Paul Parks during an interview in August 2024. (Image Credit: CHAT News Today)

By The Canadian Press

Alberta’s emergency room doctors present front-line horror stories of preventable deaths

Jan 20, 2026 | 8:56 AM

Alberta’s emergency room doctors are presenting front-line horror stories of preventable deaths, in what one doctor describes as quote “death zones.”

Doctor Paul Parks of Medicine Hat, president-elect of the Alberta Medical Association’s section of emergency medicine, says he sent a letter with the stories to the provincial government last week.

The letter lists anonymous patient stories, including at least six preventable deaths, reported by staff in the first two weeks of the year.

Among them was a patient who died in a packed hallway after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Parks says the cases listed in the letter represent “The tip of the iceberg” of what front-line workers have been seeing.

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The ministry in charge of hospitals says it can’t comment on unverified, anonymous patient information due to privacy and legal considerations.

But it says it takes all information related to patient outcomes seriously, and every hospital provider has quality assurance processes that automatically review cases with negative outcomes.

It says Minister Matt Jones has reached out to the medical association to meet and talk about plans with health officials.

This story was originally published by The Canadian Press on Jan. 19, 2026