MONTREAL

Quebec emergency rooms pushing well past capacity

The Canadian Press

Published Saturday, December 21, 2019 1:47PM EST

Quebec's emergency rooms are suffering from major overcrowding as the holiday season hits full stride.

Text:

MONTREAL -- Emergency rooms in the greater Montreal region are in the red this weekend, as the occupancy rates of stretchers has exceeded the maximum capacity in many hospitals on the island as well as on the north and south shores.

According to data on Index sante, the emergency room occupancy rates on Saturday morning were 125% in Lanaudiere, 121% in Montérégie, 119% in the Laurentians, 108% in Laval and 97 % in Montreal.

The Jewish General Hospital has the highest occupancy rate at 147% of its capacity. There were 78 stretchers occupied in a facility where the maximum capacity is 53. Overall, 16 of the 21 Montreal health establishments are in a situation of high or very high traffic.

In Montérégie, the Suroit Hospital in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield was taken by storm. The occupancy rate was 169%. No fewer than 54 stretchers were occupied by patients, 29 of whom had been there for more than 24 hours.

Anticipating the blow, the management of the Integrated Health and Social Services Centres (CISSS) of Montérégie-Ouest issued a news release in which it invited the population to assess their condition in five stages before going to the emergency.

"First and foremost, we suggest contacting Info-Santé at 811 in order to report your symptoms to a nurse," the release reads.

Second, people are asked to talk to their pharmacist about their symptoms. The third option is to speak to your family doctor. The fourth, to visit a walk-in clinic and, if your region has winter clinics, go to one of those as a fifth resort.

Finally, if your condition does not improve and none of the five previous options lead to speaking to a healthcare professional, an emergency room may be your last option. The CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest insists, however, that only "cases with significant complications" should wind up in the emergency room.

In the Lanaudiere side, although the Lanaudiere Regional Hospital Center has a reception rate of 133% and the Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital follows closely at 122%, the region's CISSS commented by email that "two emergency rooms (...) currently have no problem with traffic."

Elsewhere in Quebec, the Capitale-Nationale, Center-du-Québec, Chaudiere-Appalaches, Estrie, Mauricie and Outaouais regions have rates described as high, but to a lesser extent.

The situation is considered to be 'normal' in the regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie - Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Saguenay - Lac-Saint -Jeans.

Busiest emergencies

Montérégie