HÔPITAL DE LA MALBAIE

Best Times to Visit

About HÔPITAL DE LA MALBAIE

Hôpital de La Malbaie is a general and specialized care hospital (CHSGS) serving the Charlevoix region of Quebec, part of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. Its 24/7 emergency department provides round-the-clock care for residents of La Malbaie and surrounding communities, with services offered in both French and English. As a community-level regional hospital, it handles a broad range of urgent and non-urgent conditions, though patients requiring complex trauma care or highly specialized intervention may be transferred to a larger centre.

Services & Specialties

24/7 Emergency Department, Minor surgery, Medical and nursing consultations, Mental health services, Palliative and end-of-life care, Dialysis and hemodialysis, Endoscopy and colonoscopy, Mammography, Diagnostic imaging (ultrasound, X-ray, ECG, Holter, stress testing), Obstetric and cardiac ultrasound, Hemato-oncology (chemotherapy), Day medicine and surgery, Surgical block (ambulatory), External consultations, Specimen collection centre, Birthing unit (Unité des naissances), Radiology, Sexual assault victim support services (24/7, adults and children), Naloxone availability, Free injection material distribution, Social adaptation support, Public health prevention and promotion programs.

Amenities

• Cafeteria / food services (hours not confirmed — call ahead)
• Bilingual services (French and English)

Other Care Options

Not every health issue needs an ER visit. Find out where to go for care →

Pharmacists in Quebec can assess and prescribe for dozens of common conditions. See what they can treat →

Compare hospital wait times across Canada. View all wait times →

Tips Before You Go

• Call 418-665-1700 before visiting to confirm that your specific service or specialist is available, as some advanced cases may require transfer to a larger regional centre.
• The emergency department has a small stretcher capacity of approximately 9 stretchers, so arriving during off-peak hours (mid-morning on weekdays) may help reduce your wait.
• Bilingual staff are available — you can be served in English or French at any time.
• If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, the hospital offers designated specialized support services 24/7 for both adults and children.
• Naloxone is available at the hospital at all times — staff can assist with opioid overdose emergencies around the clock.

What to Bring

• Government-issued photo ID (e.g., driver's licence or passport)
• Quebec health insurance card (RAMQ card)
• List of current medications and dosages
• List of known allergies
• Provincial health forms or referral documents if applicable
• Personal comfort items (water bottle, snack, warm layer) for potential wait times
• Emergency contact information
• Any relevant medical history documents or previous test results

Parking

Main parking is accessible from Rue Saint-Étienne. Patients with reduced mobility can use the Boulevard de Comporté parking lot, with reserved accessible spaces near door B-16. Parking fees were not confirmed — contact the hospital at 418-665-1700 to verify current costs.

Getting There

No specific public transit routes serve the hospital directly. La Malbaie is a small regional city; patients are advised to arrange private transportation or contact the Ville de La Malbaie at 418-665-3747 for local transit options.

Frequently Asked Questions

About ER Wait Times

Emergency departments use triage. Patients with more serious conditions are seen first, regardless of arrival time.

Wait times are estimates based on Quebec health data. Actual wait times may vary.

We check our own accuracy. Forecasting two hours ahead, the ERstat estimate was typically off by 33 minutes against what hospitals themselves later posted, compared with 41 minutes for the hospital's own current figure, and was the closer of the two 58% of the time. See the full scorecard, or how we work the number out.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.