In the emergency department, admissions have been lower in the last few days. The patients, with the less urgent cases, complied with Vitalité’s request, avoiding going to the hospital.
“We are stable, we could say that it is still better than at the start of the week.” explains John Tobin, head of the family medicine unit at the Edmundston hospital.
Despite this, emergency personnel are still overwhelmed. The crowding is partly explained by the lack of employees and the high bed occupancy rate. Seniors find themselves in the hospital waiting to find a place in a nursing home.
“This week we had a dozen patients, hospitalized who were not able to go upstairs because we had no beds. So her patients keep her on emergency stretchers. Less room to assess patients. The patients who return, we have to make them wait because we have no place to assess them” continues John Tobin.
Emergency officials have seen an improvement, which has helped patients already hospitalized.
“What we were hoping for was to reduce emergency room traffic, to let’s say get the upper hand in order to be able to solve the problems of patients already hospitalized. Then unclog the system a bit,” concludes the doctor.
Even if the care provided in the emergency room is well done, you have to be patient before seeing a doctor, the wait is at least three hours.
“Those who say it’s not good, it’s because they’re not sick, but when you’re really sick, they take care,” says a patient.
Due to the lack of private clinics or family doctors, most citizens have no other options for seeking treatment. Their only option is urgency.
“They can only do so much. There are just so many doctors. There is a shortage of family doctors. Even I no longer have a family doctor. So it’s a health issue.” said another patient.
The temporary measure will end this Sunday and everyone hopes that steps will be taken to stop the hospital waiting room from being full soon.
