Montreal hospitals struggling to keep up with rising number of patients

Fourteen hospitals are currently operating at more than 100 per cent capacity, including the Lakeshore General Hospital which is at 181 per cent.

Many patients are waiting for double digit hours in emergency rooms at Montreal hospitals.

Fourteen hospitals are currently operating at more than 100 per cent capacity, including the Lakeshore General Hospital which is at 181 per cent.

Meanwhile, dozens of patients are waiting on stretchers for more than 48 hours in the ERs before being admitted.

The high levels are recorded daily by Montreal Health Department.

Gary Robidoux waited 13 hours in the ER at the Royal Victoria Hospital on April 25th.

“It’s really horrendous. It’s a joke really. People don’t want to come here who are really sick because of that,” Robidoux told Global News.

In an email to Global News, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Spokesperson Annie-Claire Fournier writes, “Our emergency departments have been very busy in recent weeks, with increased patient volumes driving high occupancy rates and patients waiting to be hospitalized, this is compounded by staffing shortages.

“It’s a difficult situation but as always, we are committed to providing quality care to all our patients.”