Emergency rooms in Greater Montreal are experiencing long wait times, with patients on stretchers waiting over 17 hours on average. Some hospitals were operating at over double their capacity, including the Royal Vic and Lakeshore Hospital. The Jewish General, Montreal General, and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital were also overwhelmed.
Authorities confirmed that the extended wait times were not solely due to recent heat waves but rather a surge in urgent cases, especially among elderly patients requiring observation or hospitalization. This increase in critical cases has led to higher occupancy rates and longer wait times for other patients.
Similar challenges were evident in hospitals across the region, with Hôpital de la cité-de-la-santé in Laval and Anna-Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay operating above capacity. Even in Montéregie, hospitals like Pierre-Boucher Hospital faced occupancy issues and lengthy wait times.
Province-wide, the average wait time in Quebec’s emergency rooms was just under five hours, with patients spending nearly 15 hours on stretchers. The overall occupancy rate for the province was 111 percent.
