Some hospitals in GTA are experiencing a surge in emergency room visits that began over the holidays and has continued into the first few days of 2017.
Lakeridge Health in Oshawa said that it has had up to 60 people in its emergency room awaiting beds in recent days with the higher than usual volume likely to continue for the “foreseeable future.”
Emergency room physician Dr. Brett Belchetz reasoning the rise said it is a trend that is being observed right across the country.
Belchetz said that Hospitals usually see a spike in emergency room visits over the holidays due to the fact that many other medical facilities, including doctor’s officers are closed.
The problem this year is that a bump in flu cases has “compounded” the problem and has left many hospitals struggling to deal with record patient volume, he said.