TheThe occupancy rate of stretchers exceeds their capacity in most administrative regions. The situation is particularly critical in the northern and southern crowns of Montreal.
According to data available on the Health Index portal at the end of Saturday afternoon, the occupancy rates of stretchers reached 150% in Montérégie, 151% in the Laurentians and 164% in Lanaudière.
At the Suroît Hospital in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, 21 patients had to wait patiently, still on a stretcher after more than 48 hours of waiting.
On the Laval side, the Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital had a rate of 141%.
In Montreal, the average was more like 133%, with a total of 63 patients waiting on a stretcher for more than 48 hours across the metropolitan area. Among the highest occupancy rates are those of the Jewish General Hospital at 213%; Lakeshore General Hospital, Pointe-Claire, 197%; the Douglas Institute, specialized in mental health, at 233%; and the Montreal Children’s Hospital at 250%.
In the Capitale-Nationale region, the highest occupancy rates were found at L’Enfant-Jésus Hospital, at 135% and at the Center hospitalier de l’Université Laval, at 144%.
The deputy director general of the CISSS de Lanaudière, Philippe Éthier, recalls that increased ridership is not unusual after the holidays, with the resurgence of health conditions specific to this time of the year, such as problems respiratory.
But he also explains the figures in his region by a lack of staff, which causes delays in the establishment of additional beds and overflow units.
“The shortage of manpower requires a lot of daily reorganization in the care units,” he said, while the Lanaudière Regional Hospital Center was at double its capacity.
Mr. Ethier points out that occupancy rates cycle through the week and even within a single day, as patients access rooms.
Among the measures taken to unclog emergencies, he cites as an example the winter clinics open from December to March to respond to cases of influenza, gastroenteritis and other non-emergency ailments which are easily spread during the cold season.
However, these clinics are only present in seven regions of the province.
Citizens are invited to contact the nurses at Info-Santé at 811 to be referred to the appropriate resources. This service can notably help to distinguish a cold from a flu and to determine if it is advisable to consult, explains Mr. Éthier. Those who can be followed up with a family doctor are encouraged to favor this option.
Elsewhere in Quebec, the situation is considered to be generally “normal” in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. The North Shore was also relatively spared, with the exception of Le Royer Hospital and the Hematite CSSS.
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