The emergency department at Halifax's QEII Health Sciences Centre has issued another alert about overcrowding — the fourth in 11 days.

Doctors at the $20-million emergency trauma centre, which opened three months ago, issued the Code Census around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

"I'm very concerned about this," said Health Minister Maureen MacDonald. "Our government is concerned about it."

The alert is used when the emergency department is dangerously overcrowded,

It was triggered Tuesday after a motor vehicle accident and two medical emergencies inside the hospital occurred within 15 minutes.

Eleven patients needed to be hospitalized but there weren't enough spots for them. The shortage of acute-care beds left some patients in hallways for hours.

'This is unacceptable'

In the 24 hours before the Code Census was issued, 178 people showed up at the emergency department, which is an unusually high number, hospital officials say.

Former health minister Chris d'Entremont considers it a problem for patients across the province.

"This is unacceptable," he said. "As people come from different district health authorities, they all have to be seen through that emergency room before they can move on to other parts of the hospital."

MacDonald said hiring a new emergency-room adviser is one solution. Nevertheless, she added, it's clear there aren't enough resources.

"We have a lack of bed capacity on the floors above the emergency room, for example, and we have to again factor in what's happening outside that particular facility that may be driving this as well," said MacDonald.

Dr. John Ross, the new emergency-room adviser, declined an interview with CBC News.