Quebec’s emergency rooms overflowing

Despite the slight drop in numbers last week, Quebec emergency rooms are overflowing once again.

The Index Santé website shows that the average occupancy rate was at 95 per cent on Dec. 26, before jumping to 112 per cent by 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

Hospitals in eight of Quebec’s 14 regions had rates above 100 per cent.

In Montreal, the average occupancy rate is 118 per cent, with 15 of the 21 emergency rooms exceeding 100 per cent.

This includes 172 per cent at the Jewish General Hospital, 160 per cent at LaSalle Hospital and 150 per cent at Verdun Hospital.

Across Quebec, the highest average rate is 148 per cent in the Laurentians, where all six ERs are overflowing.

The rate is 138 per cent in Lanaudière, 133 per cent in Laval, 129 per cent in the Montérégie, 124 per cent in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 117 per cent in Outaouais and 112 per cent in the Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec region.

In Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches, the average occupancy rate fluctuates between 92 per cent and 96 per cent.

It is at 96 per cent in Estrie and 80 per cent in the North Shore.

The only region with a rate considered normal is Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine at 66 per cent.

On Tuesday, the average length of stay for a person in the waiting room was just over four and a half hours, but the average waiting time on a stretcher was 15 hours and 40 minutes.

As of Wednesday morning, there are 3,380 people in Quebec’s emergency rooms.

Last week, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé asked for the public’s help to relieve the burden on emergency rooms during the holiday season.

He pointed out that a large number of people visit the ER without an urgent problem.

The minister encouraged them to use other available options, including family medicine or specialized nurse practitioner clinics, as well as pharmacies that can provide professional advice.

He also pointed out that the 811 telephone service can be used to speak to a nurse and, in some cases, obtain an appointment.

Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec, deplored the fact that too many Quebecers were turning up to the ER without first benefiting from basic care.

With the circulation of the COVID-19 and influenza viruses on the rise, National Director of Public Health, Dr. Luc Boileau, is also urging people to get vaccinated to slow the spread and avoid complications.

—This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French and translated by CityNews