Doctors caution that the healthcare crisis in Canada has escalated to a point that is both appalling and inhumane.
Amidst another wave of respiratory illnesses, Canada’s healthcare system is facing a critical challenge, prompting doctors to express concern about its sustainability.
Emergency departments nationwide are experiencing an unprecedented influx of patients, leading to prolonged waiting times for care. This predicament results from a combination of issues, including insufficient staffing, overcrowding, and a surge in viral infections during this season.
Emergency room physicians are describing this as the most severe season they have encountered, emphasizing the urgent need for substantive measures to address the crisis afflicting Canada’s healthcare system.
“The situations from coast to coast to coast, they’re horrific and inhumane,” said Dr. Trevor Jain, an ER doctor with the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP).
Jain and Dr. Kathleen Ross, representing the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), participated in a discussion on The West Block with Global News’ Eric Sorensen on Friday. The CMA, in a statement released on Thursday, asserted that unless significant systemic changes are implemented, the challenges in emergency departments will persist.
“I mean, the last 20 years, the emergency departments have become all things for everybody all the time because we’re always open, and the system is starting to reflect that crisis,” Jain said.
“You know, if you talk to any emergency department, we can stand being busy. We don’t mind being busy, but overcrowding kills and that’s what we’re starting to see,”
Jain highlights that Canadians are enduring lengthy waits in emergency departments, ranging from 10 to as much as 32 hours for individuals with serious illnesses. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has also documented approximately a 20-hour wait time in certain regions. Tragically, this season has witnessed two Canadian patients losing their lives while awaiting care in an emergency room at a hospital on Montreal’s south shore.
She emphasizes the crucial need for a significant expansion of team-based care and enhanced access to hospital care provided at home to alleviate the burden of treatment in the upcoming year.
British Columbia’s health minister, Adrian Dix, announced on Wednesday that a record-breaking 10,435 patients, a substantial number suffering from respiratory illnesses, were hospitalized on Tuesday night.
Emergency departments across the nation were similarly overwhelmed, facing capacity issues due to the rising prevalence of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), particularly impacting infants and older adults.
In Quebec, the average emergency room capacity reached 137 percent, as Health Minister Christian Dubé noted a significant increase with approximately 1,900 daily visits, doubling the figures from the previous year.
Ross mentions that funding allocated by the federal government approximately a year ago could potentially alleviate some of the issues confronting emergency rooms.
In February 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented provincial leaders with a bilateral agreement, forming part of a 10-year, $196 billion national health accord.
As of now, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta are the sole provinces that have agreed to the deal with Ottawa.
