Emergency rooms outside Montreal saw fewer patients as overall occupancy rates drop in Quebec

The average occupancy rate of emergency rooms in hospitals in Quebec fell slightly over the weekend, according to a Monday update from Index Santé.

As of Sunday night, the average occupancy rate for stretchers was 81 per cent.

That’s down from last week, where the daily occupancy remained at a rate of over 100 per cent for most weekdays.

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A similar trend was seen in the province last weekend, though the low rates did not last for more than a couple of days.

Index Santé, however, reported significant regional differences in emergency room attendance on Monday morning.

A large number of emergency rooms in Montreal, the Laurentians and in Montérégie saw more patients than their capacity allowed, and several dozen people remained on a stretcher for more than 48 hours.

The highest attendance was reported at Montreal’s Hôpital Santa Cabrini in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, with 155 per cent capacity.

Hôpital du Suroît in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield was second place with at 141 per cent capacity, followed by the Montreal General Hospital (129 per cent), and Hôpital de Mont-Laurier (120 per cent).

In the Quebec City region, the average occupancy rate for emergency rooms was 72 per cent Monday morning.

It was 91 per cent in Lanaudière, 85 per cent on the Côte-Nord, 71 per cent in Chaudière-Appalaches, 64 per cent in Outaouais and 54 per cent in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.