The health authority said a doctor from another region will be present in the evenings and nights from July 20 to July 23.
The health authority said a doctor from another region will be present in the evenings and nights from July 20 to July 23, when it was initially planned that the emergency room would be closed between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. the next day.
Last Friday, it said “despite all the steps taken and all the efforts made” the doctors’ evening and night shifts had not been filled.
Other nighttime closures were possible by the end of the summer, it said last week. On Thursday, teams from the CIUSSS de l’Estrie—CHUS and the Ministry of Health and Social Services said they were working together to meet medical staffing needs for other critical periods in August and September.
The authorities say if a temporary closure proves necessary, everything needed will be implemented to minimize the impacts on the population.
Even if the emergency room at Val-des-Sources hospital remains open, people in the region are asked to go to the emergency room only for cases that require immediate attention, such as respiratory problems, severe pain in the abdomen or chest, major trauma or heavy blood loss.
For non-urgent needs, the Info-Santé 811 service and the first-line access counter are options available to the population.
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