The Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital emergency room was only closed one night earlier this week, but three days later, the situation "remains precarious," according to the local health authority, the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.

"We are in a situation of hour-to-hour management that remains difficult given the staff available at this time," acknowledged CIUSSS president and CEO Jean-François Fortin Verreault in a statement issued Thursday evening.

Because of this situation, the CIUSSS recommends that anyone who isn't facing an absolute emergency should use other means of accessing health care, such as their family doctor, if they have one. Walk-in clinics and the 8-1-1 line are also options.

According to the CIUSSS, nearly 60 patients come to the Maisonneuve-Rosemont emergency department daily with health problems "that could be treated elsewhere."

At Santa Cabrini Hospital, also located in the east end of Montreal, some 25 people come to the emergency room every day with a problem that is not considered a priority.

The crisis at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital came to a head on Monday night when the emergency room was closed for the night after nurses refused to work.

The nurses were protesting management practices, including the use of mandatory overtime.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Christian Dubé intervened in the case and called in an external advisor to try and improve relations between nurses and management.

A unit manager, whose resignation was demanded by a hundred nurses, was also transferred and "will no longer be in direct contact with the team, so that everyone can find a solution," confirmed Fortin Verreault.

VOLUNTEERS TO THE RESCUE

Since the beginning of the crisis, several nurses have volunteered to come and lend a hand at Maisonneuve-Rosemont, a gesture that the CIUSSS welcomed in its press release.

"We confirm that we will take all the help that is offered to us by the experienced care personnel available, i.e. nurses, nursing assistants and beneficiary attendants," wrote the CIUSSS management.

This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Jan. 19, 2023.