The situation in emergency rooms seems to be stabilizing, but remains critical

The Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), photographed in Montreal on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. At the beginning of March, Santé Québec noted that the situation in emergency rooms had stabilized, and even improved in some regions. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

As March gets under way, Santé Québec notes that the situation in emergency rooms is stabilizing, and even improving in some regions but remains critical, especially in the Montreal region.

In Quebec as a whole, the stretcher occupancy rate was 121.7 per cent between Feb. 25 and March 4. The previous week, it was over 126 per cent.

In Montreal, the occupancy rate was over 135 per cent, compared with over 138 per cent a week earlier.

Emergency rooms in the Laval, Lanaudière, the Laurentians and Montérégie regions are even more overcapacity, despite a clear improvement: the rate is 139.7 per cent, compared with 146.2 per cent for the week of Feb. 12 to 24.

Although an improvement has been reported, the figures are still higher than last year. From Feb. 18 to March 3, 2025, the stretcher occupancy rate in Quebec reached 124 per cent, an increase of 14 per cent compared with 2023-2024.

The number of hospital visits per day reached 10,014 in the last week for Quebec as a whole, compared with 10,143 a week earlier. In Montreal, the number was 2,417, up from 2,372 the previous week.

In emergency rooms in the Laval, Lanaudière, Laurentians and Montérégie regions, the number of visits remained virtually unchanged, rising from 2,243 the week of Feb. 12 to 24 to 2,231 the week of Feb. 25 to March 4.

In a news release, Santé Québec notes that February is usually the busiest month for hospitals.

“For staff and doctors in the field, but also for the public, the data presented this week show encouraging signs,” said Véronique Wilson, assistant director general of Network Coordination and Operations Support at Santé Québec.

However, she maintains that too many people are still going to emergency rooms for health problems that could be managed elsewhere.

“For example, if you have symptoms such as a sore throat, fever or pain when swallowing, you can get tested for strep throat. This can be done at a local point of service by making an appointment on Clic Santé. If the test is positive, you will be given a prescription for the antibiotics you need,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 7, 2024.