Faced with rising COVID-19 hospitalizations, Quebec doctor calls for health system improvements
With COVID-19 numbers once again on the rise in Quebec, some doctors fear a serious crunch could be right around the corner.
Dr. Paul Saba is the head of the Lachine Hospital physician's council. He says their emergency room is already stretched thin, with nighttime ambulance services cut and an overall lack of respiratory specialists on deck.
"We saw that with COVID, we saw how tight things really were," he said. "We only allowed so many lifeboats on the ship, and there were a lot more people who actually needed lifeboats than there were. We need to build more lifeboats."
He said major improvements in Quebec's health network must be made, including growing the family doctor workforce and expanding homecare access to prevent hospital overflow.
"When you have a lack of beds in the hospital, things will back up because they can't be admitted," he explained.
"So when they come in, they just kind of stack up."
The Lachine hospital needs three more respiratory staff members in order to re-open its ICU and get ambulance services back to normal.
The goal is to do so by the end of the fall.
Quebec's health ministry reported 1,313 COVID-19 hospitalizations Saturday, an increase of 19 from the previous day.
Health officials are warning the public to remain extra vigilant ahead of festival season and with new subvariants -- namely BA. 2.12.1, BA. 4 and BA. 5 -- on the rise.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.