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Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec outlining the average stay for an admitted patient to ERs for the period of May 31 to June 27, 2026. Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\nDespite Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s stated mission to make the province\u2019s health-care system more efficient, the situation in hospital emergency rooms is markedly worse this summer than for the same period last year.<\/p>\n
The average length of stay for admitted ER patients jumped one hour and 33 minutes to nearly 24 hours for the period of May 31 to June 27, compared with the corresponding time last year. The latest stats would appear to fly in the face of claims by Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec that it has made progress in dealing with the province\u2019s ER crisis since it took over the network from the provincial health ministry in December 2024.<\/p>\n
Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association des sp\u00e9cialistes en m\u00e9decine d\u2019urgence du Qu\u00e9bec (ASMUQ), confirmed to The Gazette that there\u2019s been an increase in ER overcrowding this summer, but added \u201cwe do not know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec outlining the average stay for an admitted patient to ERs for the period of May 31 to June 27, 2026. Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n
Patient-rights advocate Paul Brunet, of the Conseil pour la protection des malades, lamented the worsening situation even though Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec and the doctors\u2019 federations have both pledged to streamline the system.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy aren\u2019t the numbers going down?\u201d Brunet asked. \u201cUnfortunately, these figures are not showing that anything is being done.\u201d<\/p>\n
By every measure, the ER stats are worse. For example, the average stay of a patient on a stretcher was 17 hours and five minutes on July 19, the most recent date available on Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s dashboard. On the corresponding date last year, the average wait was 15 hours and 37 minutes.<\/p>\n
Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec falling short of its own ER goals<\/p>\n
Before Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec assumed control of the public medical network, the provincial health ministry had set a target of less than 16 hours for patients on stretchers. At some hospitals, like the Royal Victoria in Montreal, patients have sometimes languished on stretchers for four or five days.<\/p>\n
Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec has since dropped that target.<\/p>\n
Still, the state corporation managing health care is not meeting the sole revised target it has made public to reduce the average length of stay for admitted ER patients. That target is 21 hours and 30 minutes for this year. But during the most recent period ending June 27, the average stay was 23 hours and 36 minutes.<\/p>\n
Yet that didn\u2019t stop a Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec spokesperson from asserting that the ER situation improved last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite increased pressure, including a rise in (ER) visits and more urgent cases, Sant\u00e9 Qu\u00e9bec has already observed improvements in several areas in 2025-2026,\u201d Catherine Brousseau said in a statement. \u201cThese gains demonstrate that the actions implemented\u2014improved flow, support for teams, and better organization of patient pathways\u2014are producing results, even though demand remains high.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the 2025-2026 fiscal year ended on March 31. Brousseau did not address the latest summer ER numbers.<\/p>\n
Brunet estimated that about half of ER stays are taken up by the elderly. He suggested that more home care would reduce the burden on emergency departments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you follow the elders at home, you reduce the necessity of transporting them to the emergency ward by 50 per cent because they\u2019re less sick,\u201d Brunet explained. \u201cBut we don\u2019t do that. We leave them alone at home and when they\u2019re very sick we call an ambulance. That\u2019s not how it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the wait list for home care has dropped from nearly 20,000 in July 2024 to 12,391 as of May 30, Brunet suggested those figures don\u2019t tell the whole story.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe complaints I get are that people are being told they\u2019re being re-evaluated for home care and they\u2019re getting less hours. So that means they\u2019re able to offer home care to more people but with fewer hours.\u201d<\/p>\n