Santé Québec makes changes in attempt to ease pressure on ERs

The new Crown corporation that oversees Quebec's health-care network says it's taking steps to address crowded emergency rooms, after another holiday season that saw some hospitals stretched far beyond capacity.

By midday Friday, Quebec ERs were at an average capacity of 133 per cent, though some of Montreal's largest hospitals were far busier. The McGill University Health Centre's Royal Victoria Hospital was at 179 per cent, for instance, while the Jewish General Hospital was at 217 per cent capacity.

The Crown corporation Santé Québec took over management of the health network on Dec. 1, 2024.

Frédéric Abergel, vice-president of operations with Santé Québec, said it has been working to get people access to doctors to keep ERs free for true emergencies.

More generally, Abergel said the goal is to move away from a crisis situation in ERs and begin to make gradual improvements. He acknowledged that overloaded ERs have been a problem in Quebec for decades.

"It's not something we can solve right away," Abergel said Friday. "We know that it's far from being an ideal situation, but for us what's most important is to make sure that our teams are empowered to bring their own solutions as soon as they can for the patients."

At a news conference, Abergel presented data that show modest improvements over last year, when ERs were under immense strain through the winter.

The occupation rate between Dec. 28 and Jan. 8 in 2024-25 was down seven per cent compared with the same holiday period a year earlier, despite a one per cent increase in patients.

To ease the pressure on ERs, Santé Québec has been trying to assist patients who frequently visit emergency rooms, such as those with diabetes, heart failure or mental illness, Abergel said.

The Crown corporation is also trying to spread out care and services through the week to avoid an overload on specific days, and add resources for elderly patients.

Santé Québec plans to give weekly updates on the situation through the busy winter months, Abergel said.

Guillaume Lacombe, vice-president of the province's association of ER doctors, said he was encouraged that Santé Québec is being forthcoming about its plans. But he cautioned that provincewide numbers can be misleading, and that ERs in Montreal and the surrounding area remain overloaded.

"What we hear on the ground is that the situation is not much better than last year," he told Radio-Canada. Lacombe questioned whether it was the right time for Santé Québec to impose budget cuts, given the situation in ERs.