Montreal ERs struggling with overcapacity compared to rest of Quebec
On Friday, Santé Québec also reported a rise in influenza cases
On Friday morning, Santé Québec shared figures that show a stark difference between Montreal and the rest of the province in terms of emergency room occupancy rates.
The Crown corporation also reported an increase in influenza cases.
Robin Marie Coleman, Santé Québec's assistant vice-president of access and care pathway co-ordination, revealed that the occupancy rates in Quebec between Jan. 7 and Jan. 20 were stable compared to previous years.
This wasn't the case in Montreal.
"The situation in Montreal has deteriorated year after year, from 135 per cent in 2023-24 to 142 per cent this year," she said.
The Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches regions are below the provincial average, which means they're faring better than others in terms of occupancy rate and average duration of stay.
Véronique Wilson, general manager of network co-ordination and operations support at Santé Québec, shared that there's been an increase of over 600 visits to Quebec ERs per day compared to the same period last year.
According to her, this hike is most noticeable in Montreal — with a more than nine per cent surge.
She explained that the needs and complexities of Montreal patients could explain this increase in hospital visits.
"Users who come to the emergency are often sicker and older, and have complex needs," said Wilson.
She added that specialized hospitals in Montreal such as the CHUM, the Jewish General Hospital and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital frequently serve patients who don't live in the city — with more than 30 per cent coming from off the island.
Influenza not slowing down
Dr. Luc Boileau, Quebec's public health director, stated that the cases of influenza are on the rise in Quebec and will likely continue to increase, reaching a peak in early February.
At that point, they are expected to slowly decline.
"It's not over yet," he said. "We must anticipate that the season will continue."
Boileau emphasized the importance of vaccination, adding that influenza can cause death in some cases. He noted that older people are at risk of contracting the disease.
He says RSV is also on the rise, which he deemed not surprising. Cases of the disease should also decline soon.
Cases of COVID-19, for their part, have been going down for the past few weeks.
"Things are going in the right direction at the moment," said Boileau. "We've known worse in previous years."
Written by Hénia Ould-Hammou