A lineup for ambulances and closed ICU beds paint a grim picture in Moncton

The health-care system across New Brunswick is continuing to struggle with a shortage of ICU beds and an abundance of parked ambulances waiting to unload patients outside local emergency departments.

A video shared on social media of multiple parked ambulances waiting to unload patients at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, N.B., are highlighting a bleak reality.

Officials say it is a direct response to multiple challenges within the hospital’s walls right now.

In a statement to CTV News, Dr. Natalie Banville Senior, the senior vice-president of Clinical Programs and Medical Affairs for Vitalité Health Network, said, in part, "limited access to primary care, hospitalization of patients awaiting admission to long-term care facilities, staff shortages and an increase in respiratory viruses are contributing to delays in our emergency departments."

She says the hospital is also reporting an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci, a bacteria resistant infection known as VRE, in the internal medicine and telemetry unit, which is exacerbating the problems.

“The public can do their part by avoiding emergency department visits for non-urgent problems and by adopting practices to prevent the transmission of infections,” added Banville Senior.

Christianna Williston, the director of communications and stakeholder relations with Ambulance New Brunswick, did confirm that 11 ambulances were parked outside of the emergency department at Georges Dumont on Tuesday at approximately 4 p.m.

“Seven of those ambulances were experiencing offload delays at that time,” said Williston in an email to CTV News. “Of the remaining four ambulances, three were at the emergency department for scheduled patient transfers, and the other ambulance was scheduled to pick up a patient to return them to a nursing home.”