CTV News Montreal

Updated: Tue Jan. 04 2011 11:19:52 PM

ctvmontreal.ca

MONTREAL — It's a New Year, but at the Royal Victoria Hospital and others across Montreal, it's the same old story.

Emergency rooms are operating at 50 per cent above capacity as people are flocking to hospitals with minor ailments, and wait times are becoming excessively long for people with real emergencies.

"Combine the fact that people have been away and they're back, the fact that not all doctors offices are open, the fact that people's medical problems have sort of accumulated (because) it's family and it's the holidays and they don't want to get care," Dr. Mitch Shulman, an emergency room doctor at the Royal Victoria, told CTV Montreal's Paul Karwatsky. "You put it all together and you always get this."

A sudden outbreak of gastroenteritis and influenza over the holiday period only made matters worse this year, with St. Mary's, Verdun and Lakeshore among the hardest hit.

"You've got a lot of minor problems in there for people who can't access a family doctor," said Romaina Kahmal, a nurse at the Royal Victoria.

The result is an emergency room full of coughing patients looking for any kind of medical attention, which affects the more serious cases in a bad way.

One woman told Karwatsky that she was waiting for treatment on a concussion, a wait that had reached seven hours, and counting.

"The doctors and nurses are just going by and I'm hailing them down and they're just walking by me," she said.

Kahmal says the situation is out of their control, because there's only so much that can be done when there aren't enough people to handle the load.

"There's always a shortage of staff," she said. "Always."

It's the sad reality of an annual New Year's story that often seems to take Montreal hospitals by surprise.

Comments are now closed for this story

Rick
Turn all clsc's into walk in clinics...and any doctor who has received public money must man them, plus part of the privilege of practicing in Quebec mandates a certain amount of time served in said clinics.....no exceptions.... Problem solved.

ronnie from montreal
now I was walking this morning up the street and then I fell on black ice ,(thought it was snow ) I landed on my left side, and my wrist is kiling me as my left side is also , but you wont see me going to the ER , as I will make do with home care , and if it doesnt heal then I will have to go then to the ER and I dont want to we need more nurses & doctors! another thing if your not well and you go to the ER go with 1 person ,you dont need the whole family there as there are alot of sicker ppl who need those chairs ! we need more nurses and doctors NOW not later geesh !!!

Anon
I agree with John. I have 3 kids and I dont go to the hospital unless I really have to. If they have a fever and it lasts more than 3 days then I'll take them in (and only if its a high fever). I think only a small handful of times I'd gone to the hospital with "fever" issues. Once for a real emergency with my middle child (no wait time there). A slightly sick child is no reason to run to the ER. Stay home. Your only making things worse by bringing them to the ER. Like John said.. 811 - not 911!

A from montreal
Part of the long term plan to bring in a two tier system.
The gov't "pretends" to introduce user fees, we get upset, they "remove" them, then keep the hosptials at 150%.
Finally, they will offer an "option" to opt out of the public system.
But still force us to pay the highest taxes in the country.

God help us all if need serious medical attention.

Chris S
People of this province need to understand that they cannot use emergency facilities for minor aches and pains. I think it's time the government steps in and puts some very strict guidelines everyone has to follow. Obviously if someone is arriving by ambulance more often than not, it's a real emergency. I still think that people who abuse the system should be charged for not using their CLSC's or clinics first. People are not that naive to distinguish common symptoms of flu and colds from serious illnesses.People who really require emergency services are not getting the full attention they should. We pay more than enough taxes to this province, let's get moving on some results for a change and cut the bull.

rmsbl4
I have been living outside oQuebec/canada for 40+ yrs. I went to the emergency room at the hospital in my town in Germany. From walking in the hospital,getting stiched up and out was approx 40-45 min. I guess CLSC probably has something to do with Canada and Clinic but what does it stand for in English. The town I live in approx pop of 20,000 has at least 20-25 doctors from GP's to specialists and surgeons. The different doctors I have gone to also speak English.

mike
with a DR. Shortage, where some people can't even find a family Dr. is it a surprise?

Raymond
1) Health care in the province is horrible because doctor's who want to make money and spend less on taxes move to Ontario, out west and the states.

2) Doctor's who graduate from McGill don't stay in Montreal because most of them don't speak French and cannot be bothered to since they will make more money elsewhere.

3) The government invests little to no money in health care and hospitals because they prefer putting a new roof on the Olympic Stadium and re-constructing the same road and overpasses year after year because it wasn't done the proper way the first time around.

4) This city is a second class, nanny state that is controlled by a socialist government and run by crooks and politicians that have dinner with criminals under the same roof behind closed doors.

5) When you go into an ER, 90% of the time it's a 20 something year old doctor wearing jeans that speclializes in stitches and minor cuts and colds, the good and experienced doctor's prefer not to work the late and off hours due to the high tax bracket and lifestyle requirement.

John
I was in the ER before the holidays with a sick kid, and I have to say that 75% of the children in that room should not have been there.

Here's some advice: your kid pukes once -- stay at home.
Your kid pukes every day for a week -- go the ER.

Your kid has a high fever: stay home.
Your kid is over 38 C? Call 811 before rushing to the ER.

One last thing: if your kid is in the ER fighting over toys, your kid isn't sick -- go home!

stavroula
Yes, blame the government for creating choatic public health scares so they can "push market" drug products. Have you ever seen anything more ridiculous than people lining up for hours, with young children in hand, for vacines. Yes, there are episodes of health scares, that we should all be aware of, however, we also are responsible for filtering these push market strategies and upholding common sense. We need to come to the realization that the governement has depleted/exhausted services to hospitals and health care centers to the point where these organizations are attempting to lower costs and uphold budget restraints. This plays a vital role in how hospitals and CLSC's combat infection/virus controls. Why are people not using their better judgements and waitout flu's and colds, at home? A sadder portrait as part of the true story, is also, that employees are nervous about their jobs and need to validate their absences with a doctor's note. Unfortunatley, in today's world, there really is no sympathy for parenthood, in the workplace. Here's a thought: In the older days, as written, people with scurvy were shipped off to offshore lands, to die and contain the infection. "Would you ever purposefully sail your family to such a place?" Unfortunately, that's where we are at. Hospitals are no longer havens for the sick, but cubicles for germs. Sad to say, that this is the direction that our "intelligent society" is heading...

Dilys
The abuse of our emergency rooms in a lot of cases is caused by the lack of common sense.

A lot of the people seeking aid need only to drink lots of liquids, take aspirin and rest....yes I know it sounds a little complicated but it can be done at home. If it lasts more than 5 days then seek help.

Did you know that you could get sicker sitting in the emergency room?

The staff in most emergency departments can determine cases that need priority.

CrackerJackLee
i don't know why you all keep blaming Quebec for this... in Kingston, Ontario, i witnessed an elderly woman in pain being turned away because the hospital was only taking ambulance cases... i was next in line with a kidney stone and they couldn't see me either... the entire hospital system is inadequate and partially collapsed... i have noticed, though, that there are "hidden" wards in our hospitals for fraternal groups... hence the many fund raising efforts... but they aren't admitted in the same way as you or i... our hospitals have more than one doorway in... and i still remember the nurse's face as she refused the elderly woman assistance... she was totally disconnected from any feelings... unfortunately, money for health care has been siphoned off by provincial gov'ts for "other" purposes...

LorraineH
It's not that people's doctors are not open during the holidays it is a fact of life in Quebec that the majority of people do not have a GP because there are none taking more patients.

Governments have ensured that the number of graduating GPs are too low and they have to work outside major areas. The Physician's Association has assured that immigrants with Medical Degrees not obtained in Quebec have no legitimate chance to practice in Quebec by proving their qualifications unless they can pass, among other things, their testing in French. When they are denied they are given no reason. Doctors fed up with our system and taxation are leaving the Province.

As far as going to the local CLSC, their waiting times are just as long and they close at a certain time.

What may be minor problems for Romaina Kahmal who is a nurse, might not seem that minor to the parent of a sick child or the child of a sick senior.

The ERs are not used for their intended purpose but don't blame the sick people who are looking for help, blame the government who created this situation.