The emergency occupancy rate in Quebec has never been higher in five years, just days into the holiday season. And the situation will not improve: Public Health predicts a continued increase in the spread of respiratory viruses in the coming months.
Published at 1:00 p.m. Updated at 2:55 p.m.
“It has been difficult and it will continue to be difficult,” Health Minister Christian Dubé said at a press conference on Wednesday, referring to the high traffic in the province’s emergency rooms.
Emergency rooms in Quebec have seen an average of 10,000 visits per day over the past two weeks. That is around 1,000 more cases than at the same time last year. “It's not just about an increase in volume, but also about the difficulty of the cases,” Mr. Dubé said.
As of Jan. 8, emergency occupancy was 135%. We are far from the Department of Health and Human Services (MSSS) 85 percent target. The previous peak in utilization dates back to January 2020, i.e. before the pandemic. It was then 130%.
The situation remains particularly tense in the greater Montreal area, where occupancy is over 140%. The Lanaudière region tops the dismal list with an occupancy rate of 190%, followed by the Laurentians at 165%. The emergency rooms in Chaudière-Appalaches on Quebec's south coast have also seen increased traffic at the start of the year.
Difficult situation in an emergency
“We said that in the following weeks it would be difficult in emergencies, and in our emergencies it was actually very, very difficult,” explained Minister Dubé.
Given the spread of respiratory viruses, the holidays and labor shortages, Minister Dubé warned on December 19 that the situation in the health network was “excessively difficult.”
He urged Quebecers to avoid emergencies if their situation does not require immediate treatment. “A large proportion of people who visit the emergency department do not have urgent problems and should not go to the emergency department. There are alternatives. »
The situation in emergencies has been “very difficult” in the last four to six weeks, said Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec, said shortly before the holiday season.
In early December, pediatricians also urged parents to avoid emergency rooms if their child did not need immediate care. Dr. Laurie Plotnick, emergency medical director at Montreal Children's Hospital, instead urged parents to call 811 for advice or a doctor's appointment.
With Pierre-André Normandin