MONTREAL – Montreal’s two pediatric hospital emergency rooms are swamped with children and their parents.
Many children are showing up with the cold and flu, which is typical for this time of the year. But there are also a fair number of children with foreign objects stuck up their noses or in their mouths and throats, the result of being given "age-inappropriate toys," hospital officials said.
At the Montreal Children’s Hospital, more than 35 per cent of the children were presenting with seasonal fever and viral symptoms.
The ER normally has the capacity to treat 180 patients during a 24-your period, but the ER team is now handling a caseload that is nearly double that, said Dr. Harley Eisman, the Children’s medical emergency director.
Both the Montreal Children’s and St. Justine Hospitals are urging parents to avoid going to the ER unless it’s an absolute emergency and to instead consult their family doctor or pediatrian.
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