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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.