Quebec emergency room doctors say situation is 'out of control'

An organization representing Quebec emergency room doctors is the latest to sound the alarm about the dire situation in the province's ERs.

An organization representing Quebec emergency room doctors is the latest to sound the alarm about the dire situation in the province's emergency rooms.

A letter from the Regroupement des Chefs d'Urgence du Quebec (AMUQ) said the state of ERs has "gotten out of control for all Quebec institutions" and that the "inertia at all levels of decision-making remains palpable."

The letter takes aim at Minister of Health Christian Dube.

"While all the ministerial attention was focused on Bill 15 and the reorganization of the health-care system, the network has completely ground to a halt, and everything hinges on the exceptional dedication of the professionals who are still committed to quality care," reads the letter signed by AMUQ president Marie-Maud Couture.

The doctors say the recent deaths at the Anna-Laberge emergency room in Chateauguay are just "the tip of the iceberg."

"Congestion in emergency departments leads to a mortality, recently estimated at one excess death for every 82 patients admitted," the letter reads. "This statistic does not take into account indirect deaths, i.e. people who present late despite having an urgent medical condition, for fear of waiting more than 24 hours in a waiting room, and sometimes even for fear of being a 'nuisance.'"

Association des spécialistes en médecine d'urgence du Québec president Dr. Gilbert Boucher told CTV News after the deaths that the situation at Anna Laberge hasn't changed despite the headline news of the deaths and ministerial visit.