Hôpital d'Alma Emergency Room
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean · Alma
Nobody on a stretcher for more than 48 hours.
24 h
Current situation
At 01:45 a.m., Hôpital d'Alma reports a stretcher occupancy rate of 41% (calm). 15 people are waiting to see a doctor, out of 18 in the emergency room.
History since September 13, 2026 · 840 readings.
Best hours to arrive
The calmest hours are 12 a.m., 1 a.m., 7 p.m. (Québec time). The busiest is 10 p.m.. Based on 7 readings only — read them with caution.
Average stretcher occupancy for each hour of the day, Québec time. The calmest hours are green and named in the sentence above the chart.
| Hour | Average occupancy | Waiting (avg.) | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 a.m. | 41% | 15 | 1 |
| 1 a.m. | 41% | 14 | 1 |
| 7 p.m. | 41% | 24 | 1 |
| 8 p.m. | 47% | 27 | 1 |
| 9 p.m. | 41% | 28 | 1 |
| 10 p.m. | 53% | 26 | 1 |
| 11 p.m. | 47% | 19 | 1 |
By day and hour
- 0–60 %
- 60–85 %
- 85–100 %
- 100–120 %
- 120–150 %
- 150 %+
- No data
Average stretcher occupancy for every hour of every weekday, Québec time. The darker the cell, the busier the emergency room; dotted cells have no reading yet.
| Day | Hour | Average occupancy | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 12 a.m. | 41% | 1 |
| Mon | 1 a.m. | 41% | 1 |
| Sun | 7 p.m. | 41% | 1 |
| Sun | 8 p.m. | 47% | 1 |
| Sun | 9 p.m. | 41% | 1 |
| Sun | 10 p.m. | 53% | 1 |
| Sun | 11 p.m. | 47% | 1 |
Last 7 days
Over the last 7 days, occupancy averaged 45%, between 41% and 53%.
| Time | Occupancy | Present | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Sep 13, 07:00 p.m. | 41% | 34 | 24 |
| Sun, Sep 13, 08:00 p.m. | 47% | 34 | 27 |
| Sun, Sep 13, 09:00 p.m. | 41% | 35 | 28 |
| Sun, Sep 13, 10:00 p.m. | 53% | 32 | 26 |
| Sun, Sep 13, 11:00 p.m. | 47% | 24 | 19 |
| Mon, Sep 14, 12:00 a.m. | 41% | 18 | 15 |
| Mon, Sep 14, 01:00 a.m. | 41% | 19 | 14 |
Compared with the region
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
- This emergency room41%
- Regional average (Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean)49%
- Québec average107%
Hôpital d'Alma is 8 points below its region's average. The Québec average is 107%.
| Comparison | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| This emergency room | 41% |
| Regional average (Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean) | 49% |
| Québec average | 107% |
History and seasons
The MSSS publishes these figures by fiscal period of about four weeks, one period at a time.
In period 5 of 2026-2027: 15,209 visits and an average length of stay of 4.9 h. The same period in 2025-2026 counted 14,425 visits (+5%).
- 2022-2023
- 2023-2024
- 2024-2025
- 2025-2026
- 2026-2027
In period 5 of 2026-2027: 15,209 visits and an average length of stay of 4.9 h. The same period in 2025-2026 counted 14,425 visits (+5%).
| Fiscal year | Period | Visits |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-2023 | P5 | 13,508 |
| 2023-2024 | P5 | 13,063 |
| 2024-2025 | P5 | 15,391 |
| 2025-2026 | P5 | 14,425 |
| 2026-2027 | P5 | 15,209 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the wait at Hôpital d'Alma right now?
- At 01:45 a.m., the estimated wait for a non-priority case is about 350 minutes and stretcher occupancy is 41%. The estimate applies to people arriving in the waiting room: priority cases are seen first, everyone else waits longer.
- What is the best time to go to Hôpital d'Alma?
- Based on our hourly history, the calmest hours at Hôpital d'Alma are 12 a.m., 1 a.m., 7 p.m. (Québec time). An emergency room is open around the clock: in a life-threatening emergency, go now or call 911.
- What if it is not urgent?
- Call 811 for Info-Santé (option 1) to speak with a nurse, Info-Social (option 2), or the primary care access point (GAP, option 3) if you have no family doctor. Your pharmacist can also handle many common problems. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Sources: ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (hourly emergency-room reading) and Québec.ca for the estimated wait. These figures describe how busy an ER is, not the quality of care, and are not medical advice. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.