Quebec emergency rooms overflowing for the sixth day in a row

The Montreal Children's Hospital is asking parents to avoid bringing their children to the emergency room unless it's urgent. (Swidda Rassy / CTV News)

Emergency departments in Quebec hospitals are still very busy at the start of the new year.

The stretcher occupancy rate exceeded 100 per cent for the sixth day in a row on Thursday. According to data from the Index Santé website, it stood at 128 per cent at around 12:30 p.m. This is the highest level since the start of the holiday season.

In this latest update of statistics, there were 4,602 patients, of whom 1,416 were waiting to see a doctor.

Emergency departments were particularly overflowing in the Laurentian and Laval regions, with occupancy rates of 162 and 161 respectively, and in the Outaouais (151) .

The situation was better, but still worrying, in Montérégie (129) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (116) and the Quebec City region (105).

The region that fared best was Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine (50) , Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (80).

A documented phenomenon

The number of people admitted to emergency departments fell slightly around Christmas but has been rising since Dec. 27.

Such a rebound in occupancy is a phenomenon observed almost every year, since the gatherings that take place over the Christmas period lead to an increase in the circulation of viruses, among other things.

“On 22, 23, 24 and 25 (December), people try to stay with their families and (deal with) their problems for a while,” said Audrey-Anne Turcotte Brousseau, head of department at the CIUSSS de l'Estrie -- CHUS, in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

“What we're seeing afterwards is a resurgence in patient traffic, with patients sometimes delaying consultation a little bit, trying to stretch it out so they don't have to spend Christmas in hospital. We see this type of patient between Christmas and New Year's Day,” said the emergency doctor at Fleurimont and Hôtel-Dieu hospitals.

The average occupancy rate in the province's emergency departments had not exceeded 115 per cent since mid-December. It even dipped below 90 per cent on several days in the second half of the month.

At the start of the holiday season, the Health and Social Services Ministry reminded people of the importance of “protecting their health and that of their loved ones” by avoiding going to gatherings if they had flu-like symptoms, such as a fever.

The ministry stressed that other options, such as pharmacies, 811 or medical clinics, should be preferred for non-urgent health problems.

“Go to the emergency department only for serious situations, for example, if you are suffering from chest pains, breathing difficulties or have serious injuries,” the ministry said in a news release.

The circulation of respiratory viruses, particularly the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza (seasonal flu) and COVID-19, has been on the increase recently, according to the ministry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 2, 2024.