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MONTREAL (CityNews) – Quebec’s emergency rooms have been pushed to their limit for another time in recent months and this time it’s not because of COVID-19.
Several emergency rooms in Quebec, such as the one at the CHUM in downtown Montreal, are now overcapacity.
Emergency doctors say they are surprised to find themselves in this difficult situation, since the COVID-19 situation continues to improve, following a third wave that has pushed hospitals to their limits.
“We finally thought the COVID numbers were down. We’re going to take a break and now I feel like I’m being hit by a different kind of wave, ”said Dr. Judy Morris, emergency physician and president of the Quebec Association of Emergency Physicians.
“After all we have been through, a little discouraged to see that our emergencies are full. That our stretchers are full and that our waiting rooms are full. So it’s kind of ‘oh no, what are we going to do this summer’.
Warmer months mean Quebec’s emergency departments are generally quieter, but on Thursday hospitals like the Royal Victoria at the MUHC and Maisonneuve Rosemont had 148 and 143 percent of their emergency beds occupied, respectively.
Healthcare workers are a bit exhausted after COVID. Throughout the COVID pandemic we have been through it all, we haven’t really had any free time or time to recover as well as we should have, ”said Naveed Hussain, nurse in the internal medicine and COVID unit .
COVID-19 is now putting less strain on the system, as hospitalizations and the number of intensive care units continue to decline in the province, reaching their lowest rate in months.
“We were waiting to be back. Now that’s a new normal. We’re back with fewer staff in the hospital, fewer staff in the healthcare system, with fewer beds available due to COVID restrictions, ”added Dr Morris.
Some attribute the influx of emergency room patients to people who avoided hospitals during the peak of COVID infections, or whose GPs did not perform as many in-person consultations.
“People now come to hospitals with minor ailments, or things they needed treatment for that they were reluctant to come to the hospital for treatment,” Hussain added.
“Previously these were minor emergencies that could have been treated by doctors but unfortunately most of them only made phone calls for consultation because they were citing COVID but now you have an even worse backlog “, explained Paul Brunet, defender of patients’ rights.
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