Critical shortage of beds at Windsor Regional Hospital

Surgeries at the Windsor Regional Hospital have been cancelled to create capacity and 54 patients are without beds, say hospital officials.

The hospital has opened overflow beds, but a spike in acutely ill patients at the beginning of 2017 pushed the hospitals to operate at 10 per cent more than capacity, said CEO David Musyj during a press conference Wednesday.

"We've maximized our staff," he said, adding that some staff members are into their third week of overtime. "There isn't a hospital in this land to staff 110 per cent." 

The hospital's chief of staff, Dr. Gary Ing, says departments including the intensive care unit are full, and numbers continue to rise. "We don't have the resources to deal with the needs in this community," said Dr. Ing. 

CEO David Musyj is calling for hospital capacity to be shared through the region, saying that he sees the current trend continuing. He's also asked the provincial Ministry of Health to assist. "This is an Ontario problem," said Musyj.

Of 104 scheduled surgeries, four had to be cancelled according to Musyj who added "I see that trend continuing."