Each year, hundreds of thousands of Canadians leave emergency rooms without receiving the necessary treatment, highlighting a concerning national trend. Quebec stands out as the province with the highest number of patients departing ERs without care.
A recent report by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) revealed that during the 2024-2025 period, over 428,000 Quebec residents visited emergency rooms but left without being attended to, representing 11.6% of all ER visits in the province. Quebec, despite being the second most populous province, leads in the ratio of patients leaving before treatment, surpassing a 10% pre-treatment departure rate.
The report highlighted the emergency rooms in Montreal with the highest stretcher occupancy rates on a recent Thursday morning. Conversely, Ontario boasts the lowest proportion of patients leaving without care at just 4.9%, affecting around 293,000 Ontarians, while Prince Edward Island records the highest rate at 14.2%, involving 13,000 patients.
The situation has worsened across all provinces, with Quebec seeing an 8.8% increase since 2019, the mildest rise in the country. Comparatively, Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador experienced significant spikes of 77%, 88%, and 94%, respectively, with a national average change of 35.5%.
The economist at MEI, Emmanuelle B. Faubert, expressed concerns about Quebec’s high departure rate, emphasizing that it indicates longstanding issues rather than progress. The inability to access primary care is cited as a major factor contributing to patients resorting to emergency rooms.
Notably, about 1.2 million patients nationwide left ERs untreated last year, underlining a systemic problem in healthcare accessibility. The report stresses that emergency room wait times are symptomatic of broader access-to-care challenges, including a shortage of family doctors, leading individuals to seek help in emergency settings.
The report suggests solutions such as utilizing nurse practitioner-led clinics more extensively and expanding pharmacists’ roles to alleviate pressure on the healthcare system. Quebec has taken steps in this direction by broadening pharmacists’ responsibilities, a move that could potentially reduce unnecessary ER visits.
