High occupancy rate: Quebecers asked to avoid emergencies

As emergency rooms at many hospitals in the greater Montreal area are full this long weekend, health professionals are pleading with the public not to come.

• Read more: Quebec 2022: Private small hospitals

• Read more: More private health: Legault still attacks Eric Duheim

• Read more: The staff at Chicoutimi Hospital can now treat themselves to a moment of relaxation

Nurses and doctors urge patients to consult CLSCs, pharmacies or their family doctor whenever possible.

“The population plays an important role in making things easier and reducing the pressure placed on the emergency rooms of Quebec hospitals. So we are asking for citizens’ help to get out of the crisis that is currently overwhelming the entire health network,” said Christian, spokesperson for the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montreal. Merciari said.

Use judgment

With hospitals in Quebec occupied at an average of 96% of their capacity, nursing staff from various institutions want to use citizen judgment to keep the emergency room from clogging up further.

Last night, five regions passed the 100% mark: Laurentians (130%), Laval (114%), Monterrey (116%), Montreal (103%) and Outais (106%).

Anna-Laberge Hospital Center in Châteauguay had the busiest emergency rooms in the province, with an occupancy rate of 169%.

According to the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, nearly 25% of emergency room visits do not correspond to problems requiring immediate attention.

50% absence

At the same time, according to a nurse interviewed by TVA Nouvelles earlier this week, only 50% of the staff at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital are currently on duty.

“The nurses have decided to leave the ship,” he said.

The hospital, east of the metropolis, serves 27% of Montreal’s population, according to outgoing Health Minister Christian Dubey.

“This [un centre] Very important and for various reasons there is a high impact on emergencies involving traffic jams,” he said at a press conference yesterday morning.

– with Clara Loiseau