The tranquil shores of Prince Edward Island mask a troubling healthcare reality: patients are walking away from emergency care at rates unseen elsewhere in Canada. New data released yesterday by Health Canada reveals PEI hospitals recorded a staggering 17.8% patient abandonment rate in the first half of 2025, more than double the national average of 7.3%.
“Patients are simply giving up,” explains Dr. Sarah McIntyre, Emergency Department Chief at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. “When you’re sitting in pain for seven, eight, sometimes ten hours with no indication of when you’ll receive care, the calculation changes for many people.”
The phenomenon, clinically termed “left without being seen” (LWBS), has surged across PEI’s four emergency departments since January. At Summerside’s Prince County Hospital, where wait times now average 6.3 hours for non-critical cases, nearly one in five patients ultimately abandon their care quest before seeing a physician.
This provincial crisis reflects a broader national challenge of strained emergency services. However, other provinces demonstrate notably better performance, with British Columbia recording the lowest abandonment rate at 4.2%, followed closely by Manitoba at 5.1%.
Health policy experts cite multiple contributing factors to PEI’s outlier status. “The island faces unique challenges with physician recruitment and retention,” notes Dr. James Renwick, healthcare policy researcher at Dalhousie University. “Combined with seasonal population fluctuations that strain resources and an aging demographic requiring complex care, it’s created perfect storm conditions.”
Provincial Health Minister Rebecca Taylor acknowledges the severity of the situation but emphasizes ongoing initiatives. “We’ve launched an aggressive physician recruitment campaign with enhanced incentives for emergency specialists, and we’re expanding our nurse practitioner program to address the bottleneck,” Taylor stated at yesterday’s press conference. The province has allocated an additional $28.5 million for emergency department enhancements in the 2025-2026 fiscal budget.
Patient advocates express concern about the potential health consequences. “Every walkout represents a person whose medical needs went unaddressed,” says Michael Donohue of the PEI Patient Coalition. “Some will seek care elsewhere, but others will simply suffer at home, potentially developing more serious complications.”
Analysis of demographic data shows the abandonment rate disproportionately affects working-age residents between 25-45, many of whom cite inability to miss additional work as their primary reason for leaving. Rural residents face particularly daunting challenges, with some reporting driving between multiple facilities seeking shorter wait times.
The provincial government’s newly announced “Emergency Care Access Initiative” aims to reduce LWBS rates by 40% within 18 months through expanded triage capabilities, dedicated fast-track services for lower-acuity patients, and telehealth options for appropriate cases.
As healthcare systems across Canada struggle with post-pandemic pressures and workforce shortages, PEI’s extreme example raises critical questions about emergency care sustainability. The island province now serves as both warning and testing ground for innovative solutions.
What remains unanswered is whether PEI’s ambitious reform plans will translate to meaningful improvement before patient trust in emergency services erodes beyond repair, potentially creating long-term consequences for public health outcomes across the province.
