Several Montreal emergency rooms are operating at more than 200 per cent capacity as extreme heat adds pressure to an already strained health-care system.
Health ministry data shows hospitals including Lakeshore General and the Royal Victoria Hospital are among the facilities dealing with severe overcrowding.
Dr. Greg Clark, an emergency physician with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), says ERs have been functioning at around 200 per cent capacity during different busy periods for the past two to three years, making overcrowding a year-round challenge rather than a seasonal one.
While summer heat is bringing more patients to hospital with respiratory problems and other heat-related illnesses, Clark says staffing can also become more difficult during the vacation period as doctors and nurses take well-earned time off.
“[It’s] often people with respiratory problems, people with COPD or asthma, who unfortunately don’t have air-conditioned dwellings,” Dr. Clark said.
In a statement, the MUHC said emergency departments across Quebec are facing sustained pressure due to a combination of seasonal viruses, trauma-related cases, heat-related illnesses and summer vacations.
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Pierre Hurteau, chair of the MUHC Users’ Committee, says the explanations for overcrowding remain largely the same each year and hopes long-term solutions can be found.
Health officials are encouraging people to stay cool during the heat wave, particularly seniors and those with respiratory conditions.
Clark suggests residents without air conditioning seek out cooler public spaces and contact Info-Santé 811 or a pharmacist if they are unsure whether their condition requires an emergency room visit.
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