The 155,000 Quebecers awaiting surgery must bear their worries patiently: more than 670 hospital beds will be closed this summer, which will further slow the pace in operating rooms. Even network staff are forced to stop… and wait for an operation.
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“It is illogical that we lack nurses, but we are a package waiting for the operation to return to work as soon as possible,” regrets Pamela Villeneuve, who is on leave.
The 34-year-old woman, a nurse in Laval, was injured in her right hand by a local resident two years ago. As her injury worsened and her ligaments were torn, she recently found out she would need surgery. She cannot even straighten her arm and is in constant pain. Estimated waiting time? 2 years.
kept at home
“I am 1000% committed to my residents. “I want to help and be there, but they keep me at home,” complains the woman, who even paid for a private assessment out of her own pocket to speed up the process. I don’t want to look like a princess who passes everyone by. But the sooner I get operated, the better I recover and I’m on the floor.
Ms. Villeneuve’s story is far from unique. More than 155,000 Quebecers are awaiting surgery, including 15,672 for more than a year.
Even so, 672 beds at 38 hospitals will be closed over the summer to allow exhausted staff to furlough, Le Journal reported.
Although this slowdown is normal every summer due to the summer vacation, the pressure on hospitals will be very great due to staff shortages in July and August.
Currently, 988 beds are already closed nationwide, mainly due to staff shortages. With the holidays coming up, the total number of blocked beds is likely to increase even more.
All of these closures obviously affect operations, as patients cannot be operated on if there is no bed available afterwards.
“It will put additional pressure on waiting lists,” Dr. Patrick Charlebois, President of the Quebec Association of Surgery. We still have a lot of catching up to do. we want to operate […] but it depends on the volunteer staff in the extended opening hours or on weekends.
Operations are being canceled daily in the Montreal area due to a lack of beds. All these blockages create dissatisfaction and a “not easy” atmosphere, says Dr. Charlebois to.
“human shortage”
“There’s a lack of people in the system, that’s clear, worries the surgeon, who even fears the lists will get longer.” I’m hoping to get going in the fall when the holidays are over.
The patients prioritized this summer are urgent cases, cancers and patients who have been waiting for more than a year. Only 13,929 of the 16,049 beds available in Quebec are currently being used, or 87%.
Despite this difficult situation, the Department of Health and Human Services is reiterating the importance of giving staff a break.
“It is important that our employees can take vacation and at the same time continue to provide services to the population. “We have to find a balance between the two,” Minister Christian Dubé’s office wrote via email.
In addition, we continue to aim to reduce the surgical waiting list by more than a year to 2,500 patients by December 2024. As in 2022, we also expect a difficult summer on the emergency side.
“As we close beds, we anticipate more congestion in the ER,” notes Dr. Judy Morris, President of the Quebec Association of Emergency Physicians. We have to give people leave, but we already have staff shortages.
As for Ms. Villeneuve, she very much hopes that her one-day operation can be given priority.
“It seems to me that doing this only benefits the system,” she believes. It’s depressing, I’m home […] It makes no sense.
Complete list of the 669 beds closed for the holidays
- Hull Hospital 83
- Sherbrooke University Hospital Center 68
- Center of the University Hospital of Quebec 65
- Trois Rivières Hospital 46
- Fleurimont 35
- Thetford mines 30
- Victoriaville 26
- Drummondville 25
- granny 24
- Rimouski 21
- St. Mary’s Hospital Center 20
- Sainte Justine 19
- MUHC 18
- lakeside 17
- Chicoutimi 15
- Saint Georges 14
- Shawinigan 13
- Levi’s 13
- DUDE 12
- alma 12
- amqui 11
- wolf river 10
- Charles Le Moyne 10
- Jewish General Hospital 8th
- Maniwaki Hospital 8th
- Montmagny 7
- Maisonneuve Rosemont 6
- Our lady 6
- The Tuque 4
- Pontiac Hospital 4
- verdun 4
- Roberval 4
- Our Lady of Lourdes 4
- Papineau Hospital 3
- joliette 3
- Cowansville 2
- matane 1
- Megantic Lake 1
Editor’s note: Forecasts for the summer season in Quebec hospitals. Dates may vary from week to week.
Source: Journal compilation from the CISSSs
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