This is the highest rate reached over the last 30 days while there was a previous peak on December 30 with 111%, according to the Index Santé website.
These data follow the provincial trend, according to data from the Quebec government which indicated an occupancy of 117% across the province on Thursday, rising to 131% on Friday.
The Sainte-Croix hospital in Drummondville (158%) and the Avellin-Dalcourt multi-service center in Louiseville (150%) are the two places where congestion was felt the most in the region.
The most affected region was Outaouais, with 178% occupancy. Two establishments exceeded 200%, namely the Gatineau hospital (207%) and the Hull hospital (208%).
Montreal is the only other sector where hospitals had such numbers. The Royal Victoria Hospital had a rate of 209% and the Montreal General Hospital was right at 200%.
Five hours of waiting on average
Data from the Quebec government indicates that the average wait time in emergency rooms in the province is five hours.
With 346 patients in the emergency rooms of Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec, the average time in waiting rooms was more than 5 hours 16 minutes.
This is a little higher than the average for the last 30 days which was 4:41. The worst day in this regard was December 29, when it reached 7:53.
The time spent on a stretcher was 10:34 hours in Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec, which is lower than the provincial average which is more than 16 hours.
A Montreal emergency doctor says overcrowding is trending back to pre-pandemic levels, a situation he says is both entirely predictable and avoidable.
Dr. Mitch Shulman says the pressure on hospitals always gets worse after Christmas, but adds the provincial government hasn’t done enough to inform people of alternatives to emergency rooms where they can seek treatment.
With The Canadian Press
