The lack of health personnel on the Côte-Nord is causing new service disruptions in the region, with emergency rooms in Forestville and Les Escoumins preparing to close every evening this week.
The closures are due to a “lack of nursing staff” and “occasional absences of doctors,” explained the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of the Côte-Nord in a press release issued Tuesday at noon.
The Forestville emergency room will be closed starting at 5 p.m. this Tuesday. In Les Escoumins, this will be the case starting Wednesday at noon. And this, at least until Sunday in both cases.
Residents of the Haute-Côte-Nord who need to see a doctor are invited to go to Baie-Comeau or Chicoutimi, respectively 1 hour 15 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes away by road.
Nothing settled in Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles
Service disruptions have been common in Forestville for several weeks. Hospitals in Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles are also facing the problem.
At Le Royer Hospital in Baie-Comeau, the emergency room and operating room are still operating at a reduced capacity due to staff shortages, and the 13-bed overflow unit is closed. The situation is the same in Sept-Îles, where teams must also deal with the closure of five to ten pediatric beds.
The service disruptions in the region also affect CLSCs and home care services throughout the Côte-Nord. In the CLSCs of the Lower North Shore, for example, basic services are not guaranteed. “Since there is only one nurse on call 24/7, it is possible that there will be some half-day closures to allow for rest time. In this case, the information will be posted on site,” the CISSS indicates in its communications.
This comes as the flying team of 40 people promised by Health Minister Christian Dubé is still waiting on site. As of Tuesday, only two members of this team are on site. However, they are not nurses, but orderlies.
According to the CISSS, other workers from the flying team are expected in the coming days and 29 workers loaned by establishments in other regions are also present.