Montrealers waiting hours to be seen in hospital ERs

A hospital room in Montreal. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi)

Montrealers headed to the hospital could be waiting hours before seeing a doctor in the emergency room (ER), according to information released by the Quebec government early Friday morning.

According to the data current as of 8 a.m. Friday, the Royal Victoria Hospital has a 12-hour and 29-minute wait time for "non-priority cases to see a doctor."

In addition, 35 people are waiting to see a doctor in the ER, with 117 people total in the waiting room.

The stretcher occupancy rate is 203 per cent.

At the Montreal General Hospital, people are waiting an average of five hours and 23 minutes to see a doctor.

There are 11 people in the ER waiting to see a doctor, and 83 people total in the waiting room.

Stretcher occupancy rate is at 213 per cent.

At the Jewish General Hospital, the average wait time for "non-priority cases to see a doctor" is three hours and 33 minutes.

There are 135 people in the ER, with 23 waiting to see a doctor.

Stretcher occupancy rate is at 200 per cent.

The Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) has an estimated wait time of eight hours and 32 minutes.

There are 37 people waiting to see a doctor and 124 people in the ER in total.

Stretcher occupancy rate is at 145 per cent.

The Lakeshore General Hospital does not have available information for estimated waiting times.

However, there are 16 people in the ER waiting to see a doctor with a total of 89 people in the wait room.

The stretcher occupancy rate is at 194 per cent.

The Quebec government points out that "the estimated waiting time to see a doctor depends on the number of nurses and doctors on site and the health condition of the patients in the emergency department at the time of your arrival. Urgent cases are treated in order of priority."

For a full list of the situation in the emergency rooms across Quebec, click here.

The government points out that "every year, about 50 per cent of patients who visit the emergency room do not have urgent problems."

"This situation creates a bottleneck effect and prevents some people from having access to adequate health care," it notes. "It is therefore very important to determine how urgent your problem is before you go to emergency."

People with non-urgent needs are encouraged to call Info-Santé at 811, get a medical consultation with a health professional or contact a pharmacist.

"Go to the nearest emergency room if your life or a family member's life is in danger or if your condition or a family member's condition needs prompt attention," officials state.

Examples of this include severe breathing problems, unbearable abdominal or chest pain, extreme injury or if a person is going through a crisis and their mental state presents a danger to themselves or others.