Physicians say a rise in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and COVID-19 are overburdening an already fragile health care system. The government is partially blaming the strikes as hospitals function at lower capacity.
Emergency rooms across Quebec are struggling to keep up with the influx of patients following the holiday celebrations. Most emergency rooms are already operating at more than 100 per cent capacity, but health-care workers fear the worst is yet to come.
The Quebec coroner's office has opened an investigation into the death of an 84-year-old woman who died in the Jewish General Hospital's emergency room in Montreal last month.
Quebec urgent care chiefs say ERs are victims of a failing system in candid letter cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
With rising COVID-19 cases and staff shortages, hospital emergency departments are jammed up in much of the country even before the traditional flu season begins, raising concerns about the winter months ahead.