MONTREAL -- Load shedding is beginning at the CHU of Québec-Université Laval, where medical appointments and operating room activities will be nearly cut in half starting Wednesday.

Only “27 operating rooms will be available out of a total of 48 in order to get about 60 nurses to take care of patients with COVID-19,” announced the institution’s president and CEO, Martin Beaumont, at a virtual press conference Sunday.

There will also be half as many in-person medical appointments. As many as “10,000 appointments could be rescheduled or converted to telehealth,” the CEO said.

“These are extremely difficult decisions," he added, explaining that “there are 783 workers at the CHU de Québec who are in isolation,” while the hospital “was already short of nurses by about 600,” even before the fifth wave.

As of Sunday, 10 of the 16 intensive care beds reserved for COVID-19 patients were occupied, as were 52 of the 64 beds on the floor.

But Beaumont was optimistic that CHU would be able to handle all potential COVID patients.

“We could go with a lot more offloading,” he said, whether that means cutting back on surgeries again to take care of emergencies, cutting back on medical appointments or “going to other areas” to look for staff.

So far, he added, his facility has not brought back any employees who tested positive, as it may do under new health authority guidelines.

PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING

“Patients whose appointments are cancelled or changed will all receive a phone call from our staff," Beaumont said. In addition, a telephone line will be set up from Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., to answer any questions, especially “if users notice a deterioration of their health condition.” The number will be 418-649-5654.

He said that for any critical situation, people should go to the emergency room or call 911.

The CEO asked the population to “help us with patience and understanding”, even if the service might be slower than usual.

“You have to understand that right now, the rubber band is extremely stretched and you can see the white in the middle," he pleaded, adding that employees “work tirelessly day and night” to fight COVID-19.

He reminded the public that “it’s still vaccination that can protect you” and reduce the strain on the health care system. “Minimizing your contacts” is something else that can help, he added.

— This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Jan. 02, 2022.