Quebecers who come to the emergency room for a rather minor problem wait almost three hours, on average, before seeing a doctor. This is indicated by data obtained by The duty Wednesday with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).
Indeed, the average medical care time for outpatients (and non-outpatients and stretchers) was 2 hours 52 (172 minutes) in 2021-2022, compared to 2 hours 44 (164 minutes) in 2017 -2018. The government’s target is 90 minutes in 2022-2023.
According to data provided by the MSSS, nearly fifteen hospitals recorded an average delay of more than four hours in 2021-2022. The Hospital of Saint-Jérôme wins the palm of the worst: 5 hours 59 minutes. This is followed by Hôpital Pierre — Le Gardeur in Terrebonne (5 hours 34 minutes), Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne in Longueuil (5 hours 26 minutes), Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont in Montreal (4 hours 54 minutes) and the Center Trois-Rivières Regional University Affiliated Hospital (4 hours 52 minutes).
The duty revealed on Tuesday that the average length of stay on a stretcher in the emergency room reached 16 hours and 45 minutes in 2021-2022, well beyond the original ministerial target, set at 12.5 hours. The average “overall” medical treatment time (outpatient and stretcher clients) was 145 minutes (2 hours 25 minutes) last year.
The Legault government is relying on the front-line access counter (GAP) to unclog emergencies. Patients without a family doctor can contact the GAP to obtain a consultation with a health professional (nurse, pharmacist or doctor) at the time deemed appropriate.
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