Leaked letter suggests Quebec ERs are 'victims of a failing system'

The province has systematically failed to support its overcrowded emergency rooms, leading to a tense and potentially deadly crisis, suggests a leaked letter meant for hospital leaders and health officials.

The letter was penned by Dr. Marie-Maud Couture, the president of the Regroupement des chefs d'urgence du Québec (RCUQ), representing the province's chiefs of emergency. 

The letter was not meant for the public eye. Radio-Canada obtained a leaked copy Tuesday morning.

It says that the RCUQ wrote "to make management teams aware of the serious problems" earlier this summer, but found that ERs "have not received the support of our management."

The letter says that a lack of hospital beds in other departments forces ERs to "disproportionately bear the burden of hospital overcapacity," which has a ripple effect on urgent care.

"Emergencies are now condemned to sacrifice their primary mission, which is to treat, in a timely manner, people whose clinical condition is unstable, or even potentially deadly."

"Our emergencies are the victims of a failing system, and it's our patients, our staff and the population who suffer from a disorganization of our establishments."

The health boards have a responsibility to regain control of the situation, the letter says, especially as health-care providers prepare for another wave of COVID-19, coupled with the flu, this winter.

Shortly after the letter was made public Tuesday, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that he will be holding a news conference at 1 p.m. to discuss the province's emergency rooms.

Couture, the author of the letter, declined an interview request Tuesday morning.

Dr. Judy Morris, the head of the Quebec Association of Emergency Physicians, echoed the concerns laid out in the letter Tuesday morning, saying the letter was an "appropriate response" to the government's handling of the situation.

"People were hoping, regionally and across the health-care establishments, that people would take appropriate measures to solve the crisis. But very little has been done," she said.

She said the solution to overcrowding in emergency rooms is to make beds available in other departments, so patients can be transferred appropriately. 

"But it seems that in the health-care network, everyone is able to close their door and say: 'no, we're full' or 'no, we're at maximum capacity,'" she said.