Several Montreal ERs over capacity as Quebec’s construction holiday ends

With the construction holiday having ended Sunday, pressure is building across Quebec’s health-care system.

The average stay for admitted ER patients has climbed to nearly 24 hours this summer.

And as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, several Montreal emergency departments were operating at more than 180 per cent stretcher capacity.

Even Info-Santé 811 is seeing longer waits, with callers now waiting an average of 89 minutes before speaking with a nurse.

Montreal cardiologist and epidemiologist Dr. Christopher Labos breaks down the situation.

From what you’re seeing, what’s driving these long waits and overcrowding?

I think there’s a number of factors that are playing into it, but the biggest problem is a lack of personnel. I mean, in emergency rooms, the issue is not a lack of space. There is geographic space to put people. We just don’t have the personnel to take care of them. We don’t have the hospital beds to admit people, to move them out of the emergency room, to make room for new people. We have a problem with personnel in the health-care system because ever since COVID-19, a lot of people have left and it’s just put more pressure on the system.

With the construction holiday having just wrapped up, hospitals often see an influx of patients afterwards. What do you think we can expect in the coming days and weeks, and what can people do to maybe ease the pressure on the system?

Well, it’s always hard to predict the future. Certainly, whenever there are holidays, when people are away or on vacation, you tend to have less demand and that tends to pick up afterwards. It’s also harder during the summer months because the people working in the hospitals are often on vacation and they’re away, and so there’s less people to help cover and to deal with the people who are sick.

I think the best advice that people can have, that I can give people, is you have to use your judgment. If you can deal with something that doesn’t require you to go to the emergency room, do it that way. So speak with your family doctor if you have one or a pharmacist or call 811 and try to resolve the issue that way. Most issues can be dealt with, and you can maybe even make an appointment at a clinic within the next one to two days, and that will be fine for most people. Because obviously if you can avoid a trip to the emergency room, that would be preferable.

You mentioned things that you can do to avoid going to the emergency room, different lines of defence to call, but what are the symptoms that maybe people shouldn’t ignore in this case?

I think if you’re having anything that’s potentially life-threatening. So if you’re having chest pain because you think you’re having a heart attack, call an ambulance. If you think you’re having a stroke, call an ambulance. If you’ve injured yourself and are bleeding profusely, call an ambulance. I think the mistake most people make is they tend to wait at home for too long. So it’s important to understand that there’s long wait times at the emergency room and you should try to deal with things in a non-urgent manner. But if you have an urgent situation, calling an ambulance as soon as possible is in your best interest.

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