Quebec’s national assembly debated on the issue that has captured the recent concern after deaths of two patients were reported due to delayed medical attention by the hospitals in the province.

Delayed surgeries and overcrowded emergency rooms have become an everyday story in Quebec hospitals. Opposition Parti-Québecois Leader Pauline Marois commented that the emergency rooms do not have appropriate capacity to absorb the patients waiting in the hallways.

Health Minister Yves Bolduc opposed the findings as exceptions and admired the fact that more than half a million patients’ operations are executed in Quebec every year, with a record of 3.4 million visits to ER- and most of the patients are discharged from the hospital satisfactorily. One patient’s rights advocate stressed on the need of resolving the issue quickly rather than to point fingers to increase the efficiency of the hospitals.

One of the deaths was of 86-year-old Mariette Fournier who waited for the medical care for four days on the hospital’s stretcher in Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital's due to the overcrowded emergency rooms reported by the hospital and no vacant bed for her to occupy. She died on Feb. 23, a day after officials arranged a bed for her.

Bernard Baril, her nephew said, “The quality of care she received was unacceptable”.

Bolduc said, "We have some cases that are very sad... What we want is that we don't want to have these cases".