2 patients die while waiting in Montreal-area ER, investigations launched

globalnews.ca:

Multiple investigations are underway after two patients died in separate incidents in the emergency room of a Montreal-area hospital last week.

The patients died at Hôpital Anna-Laberge in Châteauguay, a city located on Montreal’s south shore. The news was first reported by French-language digital outlet La Presse.

The Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de Montérégie-Ouest (FIQ-SPSMO), the union representing health-care workers at the hospital, said members informed union president Dominic Caisse of the deaths.

The first patient died while waiting for care in the hospital’s ER last Wednesday, according to the union. A second patient’s death occurred the following day.

The regional health board, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de la Montérégie-Ouest (CISSS), confirmed investigations were launched. An internal probe and a coroner are both investigating.

The CISSS offered its condolences to the patients’ families, saying it takes the situation “very seriously” and it will co-operate with investigators. The health board also confirmed meetings are underway to find ways to ease overcrowding at Hôpital Anna-Laberge.

“We currently have a busy situation and the waiting time is very high,” the CISSS said in an email to Global News.

The health board added “all efforts are made to reduce pressure on emergencies, for the well-being of teams and patients. We will never compromise on patient safety.”

The union president said that while no one wants such a tragic situation to occur, he wasn’t surprised given the current conditions of the hospital’s ER. Caisse said health-care workers are not only overwhelmed, but their biggest concern is patient safety.

“It’s a tragedy that people die in those conditions,” Caisse