2023-06-19 04:00:00
The 155,000 Quebecers waiting to be operated on will have to take their troubles patiently: more than 670 hospital beds will be closed this summer, which will further slow down the pace of operating rooms. Even employees of the network are forced to stop…waiting for an operation.
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“What is illogical is that we are short of attendants and nurses, but we are a package waiting for surgery to return to work as soon as possible”, deplores Pamela Villeneuve, who is on leave. of work.
A beneficiary attendant in Laval, the 34-year-old woman was injured in her right hand by a resident two years ago. Since her injury degenerated and ligaments were torn, she recently learned that she will have to have surgery. She can’t even straighten her arm and lives in constant pain. Estimated waiting time? Two years.
Kept at home
“I am 1000% dedicated to my residents. I want to help and be there, but they keep me at home, denounces the woman who even paid out of pocket for a private expertise to speed up the process. I don’t want to look like a princess walking past everyone. But, the sooner I’m operated, I recover, and I’m on the floor.
Ms. Villeneuve’s story is far from unique. More than 155,000 Quebecers are waiting for an operation, including 15,672 for over a year.
Despite this, 672 beds will be closed over the summer in 38 hospitals to allow exhausted employees to take vacations, compiled The newspaper.
Although this slowdown is normal every summer given the summer holidays, the pressure on hospitals will be very strong in July and August, due to staff shortages.
Currently, 988 beds are already closed across the province, mainly due to staff shortages. With the holidays, the total number of blocked beds will likely be even greater.
Obviously, all these closures are detrimental to operating activities, since patients cannot be operated on if no bed is subsequently available.
“It will put additional pressure on the waiting lists, admits Dr. Patrick Charlebois, president of the Quebec Association of Surgery. We have a lot of catching up to do. We want to operate, […] but it depends on the voluntary staff in the extended hours or the weekend.
In the Montreal region, operations are canceled every day due to a lack of available beds. All this blockage generates discontent and a “not easy” atmosphere, admits Dr. Charlebois.
“Lack of people”
“There is a lack of people in the system, that’s clear, worries the surgeon, who even fears that the lists will get longer. I hope it will take off in the fall when the holidays have been taken.
The patients prioritized this summer are urgent cases, cancers and patients who have been waiting for more than a year. Only 13,929 of the 16,049 beds available are currently used in Quebec, or 87%.
Despite this difficult situation, the Ministry of Health and Social Services reiterates the importance of giving employees a break.
“The important thing is that our staff can take vacations while continuing to provide services to the population. We have to find a balance between the two,” wrote Minister Christian Dubé’s office by email.
In addition, we are still aiming to reduce the surgery waiting list by more than a year to 2,500 patients by December 2024. On the emergency side, we are also expecting a difficult summer, as in 2022.
“When we close beds, we expect more emergency room overflows, notes Dr. Judy Morris, president of the Quebec Association of Emergency Physicians. We will have to give people vacations, but we already have staff shortages.
As for Ms. Villeneuve, she strongly hopes that her one-day operation can be prioritized.
“It seems to me that it is just to the advantage of the system to do that, she believes. It’s depressing, I’m home […] It doesn’t make any sense.”
Full list of 669 beds closed for the holidays
Hull Hospital 83
Sherbrooke University Hospital Center 68
Quebec University Hospital Center 65
Trois-Rivières Hospital 46
Fleurimont 35
Thetford Mines 30
Victoriaville 26
Drummondville 25
Granby 24
Rimouski 21
St. Mary’s Hospital Center 20
Sainte-Justine 19
MUHC 18
Lakeshore 17
Chicoutimi 15
Saint Georges 14
Shawinigan 13
Levi’s 13
CHUM 12
Alma 12
Amqui 11
Wolf River 10
Charles-Le Moyne 10
Jewish General Hospital 8
Maniwaki Hospital 8
Montmagny 7
Maisonneuve-Rosemont 6
Our Lady 6
The Tuque 4
Pontiac Hospital 4
Verdun 4
Roberval 4
Our Lady of Lourdes 4
Papineau Hospital 3
Joliette 3
Cowansville 2
Women 1
Megantic lake 1
Editor’s note: Projections for the summer period, in Quebec hospitals. Data may vary from week to week.
Source: Compilation of the Journal from the CISSSs
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