GATINEAU, QC. -- The Gatineau Hospital is temporarily suspending service in its intensive care unit because of an unexpected shortage of nurses, a press release from the local health unit says.
But the union that represents those nurses says the issue has been building for a long time.
A note sent Saturday from the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais (CISSSO) says ICU services will be suspended starting at 12:00 a.m. Sunday.
The CISSSO said the Gatineau Hospital is working with other hospitals in the region to ensure that patients who require a level of intensive care continue to receive the services they need and that the hospital will work to restore service in a safe and sustainable manner as soon as possible.
Patrick Guay, President of the Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de l'Outaouais, tells CTV News that nurses are burnt out.
"For many months now, there has been an issues with the intensive care unit in Gatineau, they’re understaffed and overworked," Guay said.
He says nurses have had no choice but to work overtime, some up to 16 hours a day, with only minimal staffing, and it's reached a point where the patients' needs can no longer be met.
"The Outaouais has been left behind," Guay said. "We’re asking that the Quebec Premier and the Minister of Health come see us, come see the situation, because it’s not normal for a city like Gatineau with 300,000 residents to close intensive care."
A spokesperson for the CISSSO told CTV News on Sunday that all patients in the Gatineau Hospital ICU have been transferred to other hospitals in the Outaouais region. Any new patients who require intensive care will be sent to the hospital that best suits their needs.
The organization did not say how many patients were affected by the closure of the ICU or how long it will last.
At this time, there is no plan to transfer patients from the Outaouais to any hospitals in Ottawa.
