Laval hospital maternity ward halved for weekend as staff shortage stretches services thin
A Laval hospital has closed more than half the beds in its maternity ward this weekend because it doesn't have enough staff.
While there are many women ready to give birth, the staff shortage has pushed the Cité-de-la-Santé hospital in Laval to restrict capacity, leaving half of the 13 maternity beds out of commission.
Dr. Judy Morris, head of the Quebec Association of Emergency Room Physicians, says staffing across Quebec has been stretched thin, leaving gaps in specialized areas.
In the “[emergency room], ICU, maternity wards, these are areas where they need specialized personnel,” said Morris.
In the last month, emergency rooms across Quebec have been stretched well beyond capacity.
Morris says not enough has been done to address staff shortages in hospitals, especially among nurses.
“There's … a lack of personnel. That has a huge impact on care [and the] number of beds available,” she said.
What’s more, MUHC Nurse Naveed Hussain says there has been an influx of patients seeking care for health concerns long put off due to the pandemic.
Some, he says, don't need to be at the hospital, adding that the province should do more to strengthen other avenues to receive care and information.
“811, Info-Sante, the CLSCs: we need to empower these structures so people will call these places first and get the care they need.”
Hospitals, he said, should be “the last resort.”
Weeks ago, Health Minister Christian Dube called on medical clinics to increase their hours, and for family doctors to see more patients in person.
Morris says the province needs to deal, first and foremost, with the staffing crisis.
She says the province ought to give incentives for nurses to return to vacated positions, and to force private nursing agencies to fill more shifts.
Otherwise, some worry hospitals will be forced to close more beds in the months to come.
“I am worried,” said Hussain. “Do we see an end in sight?”
“Especially with the flu season coming up in the fall and winter,” he said, “and possibly another rise in COVID-19 cases due to variants.”
“Can we sustain as we go along?”
The Laval regional health authority says it has deployed a number of measures to make sure patients are well cared for at the Cité-de-la-Santé maternity ward.
Hospitals in neighbouring regions may be asked to take on patients, if necessary, it said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.