We’re still a few weeks away from when the annual flu season kicks into high gear but already local emergency departments are being swamped with patients.
President of Quinte Healthcare Mary Clare Egberts says that despite being prepared for a surge in patients there have already been several occasions when hospitals came into what’s known as a “gridlock” situation.
Extra beds and staff had already been deployed and now Egberts says management is preparing more “surge beds” and working on scheduling staff for when flu season begins in earnest, which is normally soon after Christmas.
Egberts says all other hospitals in the province are facing the same situation and with an older population and a shortage of family physicians, packed emergency departments early in this area aren’t really a surprise.
Members of Quinte Healthcare’s Board of Directors stressed that the provincial government is going to have to rework how they finance hospitals quickly to avoid severe financial and medical consequences as the number of patients increases steadily year over year.
