(Quebec) Fewer Quebecers are now going to the emergency room due to complications linked to respiratory viruses, rejoices the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé.
“We are not out of the woods yet, but there is definitely an improvement,” declared the minister upon his arrival at the pre-sessional caucus of his political party which is being held Wednesday and Thursday in Sherbrooke.
Mr. Dubé said he relied on the most recent data from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) “which shows that there is really a drop in viruses”.
“Just before the holidays, I said that we had almost 1,000 more visits to the emergency room every day. We were at more than 10,000. Yesterday, I looked, we were at 8,900,” he said.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Christian Dubé
“It’s good news, there is a drop in viruses. […] We must continue to be careful, […]but I think it is encouraging that we are getting through it,” added the minister.
More than a stroke of luck, Christian Dubé attributes the improvement in the situation in emergencies to the fact that “a lot of work […] was done by our teams.”
He cited the Anna-Laberge hospital in Montérégie as an example. “They changed some measures […] and then, all of a sudden, we saw, over two weeks, there was an improvement in the times on the stretchers.
“So yes, things are better with the viruses, but there is a lot of work that is being done by our teams,” insisted Mr. Dubé in the press scrum.
Last month, two people died in the crowded emergency room of Anna-Laberge hospital. One of the two patients died in the waiting room, reported The Press.