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Hospital in Toronto warns patients of ‘significant’ delays this weekend

The Emergency Department at Michael Garron Hospital is pictured in Toronto on Nov. 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Rachel Verbin

Those who attend Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital‘s (MGH) emergency department Friday evening and this weekend should expect to encounter “significant service and wait time delays.”

In a bulletin posted to its website, the hospital said the delays will begin on Friday at 5 p.m., and will last through the weekend.

According to MGH, the service impacts are due to “planned technological upgrades.”

The hospital said the upgrades will also impact services and its hours of operation for its virtual emergency department, e-booking portal for minor injuries, MGH clinical assessment centre and “other services.”

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MGH said its emergency department will remain open and “will prioritize patients according to the severity of illness and/or injuries.”

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“As always, the sickest patients will be seen first,” the bulletin reads. “Individuals who require care for an urgent but non-life threatening health concern are encouraged to consider using alternate care providers to receive the care they need in a timely manner.”

MGH said these other options include urgent care centres, walk-in clinics, other emergency departments or Toronto’s virtual emergency department.

The hospital said patients who still choose to attend its emergency department this weekend should be “prepared to wait.”

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