Quebec 90-minute target in emergency rooms is still far from being reached

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) still doesn’t know if it will fulfill its 2018 election promise to receive emergency room care within 90 minutes.

During the Ministry of Health’s budget review on Tuesday, neither Minister Christian Dubé nor Santé Québec CEO Geneviève Biron were able to answer Liberal André Fortin’s question.

The Pontiac representative pointed out that as of Tuesday morning, the wait time at the Gatineau hospital’s emergency room was 8 hours and 23 minutes. The average wait time across the province is 2 hours and 46 minutes.

The CAQ had made a firm commitment to reduce the average wait time in emergency rooms to 90 minutes. This target was supposed to be achieved by 2022-2023, but in its most recent strategic plan, the Ministry of Health postponed it to 2026-2027.

However, Minister Dubé was unable on Tuesday to guarantee that the target will actually be met on time. He argued that emergency room visits have increased in the past year, largely due to the aging population.

“We will continue to measure this. I think that’s what Quebecers are asking us to do,” he stated.

“I don’t agree with you when you say that Quebecers are asking you to measure this. Quebecers are asking you to improve,” Fortin said. “What gets measured happens,” Dubé concluded on a philosophical note.

For her part, Biron stated that we cannot expect a “uniform result” across Quebec. However, the 90-minute goal remains a “good target” to “keep in mind,” she said.

In the meantime, minor cases should see their doctor rather than going to the emergency room, the minister reiterated. Quebec is currently negotiating with doctors to renew the framework agreement that defines their working conditions.

“If we don’t resolve the problem before the emergency room, people will continue to go there, so there needs to be better care, not just in the emergency room, but by doctors,” he emphasized.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews