Citing a widespread information technology outage, officials at Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital in Laval are urging the public to avoid the emergency room unless absolutely necessary. The disruption, which began earlier today, has significantly impacted hospital operations, including patient registration, medical records access, and communication systems.
Hospital Operations Affected
The IT failure has forced staff to revert to manual processes, causing delays in patient care. Hospital administrators are working to restore systems but have not provided a timeline for resolution. Patients with non-urgent medical needs are being redirected to other healthcare facilities or advised to seek care from local clinics.
Impact on Emergency Services
Emergency services remain available for life-threatening conditions, but patients may experience longer wait times. Paramedics have been notified to transport critical cases to alternative hospitals when possible. The hospital is coordinating with regional health authorities to manage the surge.
Public Advisory
In a statement, hospital officials said: 'We deeply regret any inconvenience and are doing everything possible to restore normal operations. Patients with scheduled appointments are being contacted directly.' The public is encouraged to monitor official channels for updates.
The cause of the outage is under investigation, though preliminary reports suggest a network failure. Similar incidents have affected other healthcare institutions in recent months, highlighting vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure.
