Emergency rooms remain overcapacity across Quebec

Quebec emergency rooms were considered overcapacity Thursday morning in all of the province’s regions except Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

The Index Santé site, which monitors and reports occupancy rates and waiting times in ERs, says shortly after 6:00 a.m. that the average rate was 136 per cent, the highest it’s been since the brief lull over the Christmas period.

The most critical situation: in the Lanaudière region, where the occupancy of the emergency rooms of the Lanaudière and Pierre-Le-gardeur hospitals was on average 213 per cent. There were 49 patients on stretchers for more than 24 hours in this region, including 16 for more than 48 hours.

In the neighbouring region of the Laurentians, the emergency occupancy rate was 177 per cent.

The rates were 158 per cent in Montérégie, 155 per cent in Chaudière-Appalaches, 144 per cent in Montreal, 139 per cent in Outaouais, 135 per cent in Laval, 132 per cent in Quebec, 121 per cent in Bas-Saint -Laurent, 108 per cent in the Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec region and 105 per cent in Estrie.

Emergency room traffic was at 90 per cent in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and 72 percent in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

On Thursday morning, there were more than 3,900 Quebecers in emergency rooms. The day before, the average length of time people spent in the waiting room was around five and a half hours.

After the lull over the Christmas period, traffic continued to increase in Quebec emergency rooms. At the worst times, it was 120 per cent on December 29 and 133 per cent on Wednesday.

Experts say it is linked to an increase in the number of cases of respiratory viruses. Just before New Year’s Eve, the Quebec government called on the population to exercise caution in order to limit the transmission of these viruses and avoid applying additional pressure to the health network.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) warned that viruses such as COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza were circulating extensively.

The ministry stated that a large proportion of patients who consult the emergency room do not need to go there.

Among the examples observed on a daily basis, the ministry reported sore throats, mild coughs, gastroenteritis without signs of significant dehydration and symptoms of urinary tract infection. These health problems can often be neutralized by a consultation on the 811 telephone line or at the digital first line access desk (GAP).

Nevertheless, the ministry reminded that one should not hesitate to go to the emergency room for any health situation requiring immediate care.