The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, must provide an update on Wednesday morning on the situation in the emergency room as the holiday season approaches.
He will hold a press briefing as hospitals continue to overflow in Quebec. The situation is red in several regions with establishments which receive a quantity of patients exceeding their reception capacity.
According to the Indexsanté website, the general occupancy rate in Quebec rose early Wednesday morning to 120%, with regions more affected than others, such as those of Greater Montreal. In Lanaudière, the occupancy rate in emergency rooms is 178%, the highest in the province. It was 148% in the Laurentians, 135% in Laval, 129% in Montérégie and 125% in Montreal.
Last week, the national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, recalled that three respiratory viruses – influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus – continue to put pressure on the health network. He appealed to Quebecers for good citizenship, inviting them to avoid gatherings when symptoms appear.
Minister Dubé set up a crisis unit nearly two months ago to find short-term solutions to relieve emergency room congestion. Three measures were announced in November. One of them is the opening of specialist nurse practitioner clinics. A total of five clinics have been confirmed so far.
The teams in these establishments take care of patients who are referred by the first-line access counter from the emergency room or the pediatric 811 line. The nurses can provide medical care, such as prescribing medication , determining medical treatments and diagnosing diseases.
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