2023-04-25 18:56:57
(Montreal) A group of citizens and elected officials went to the National Assembly on Tuesday to defend the Lachine Hospital and demand that the local services it provides to residents of western Quebec be safeguarded. island of Montreal.
Accompanied by Liberal MPs André Fortin and Enrico Ciccone, the delegation spoke to the media from the Press Gallery. The mayoress of the borough of Lachine, Maja Vodanovic, notably directly challenged the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, reminding him of his desire to offer “more humane, more efficient and closer to people care”.
She mentioned that on March 23, the 12 mayors of the West Island co-signed a letter addressed to the Minister asking him to continue the modernization work underway at the hospital.
Mme Vodanovic maintained that “the plans of the hospital, designed and thought out in consultation for more than ten years […] embody the kind of efficient and close to people services sought by the Ministry of Health”.
“We are hopeful that the Minister of Health will make a good decision, because there is only one. It is that of a community hospital, close to the people, with emergency and intensive care, which responds to the noble intentions of its health plan, ”she added.
Citizens fear that the management of the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) will permanently close the emergency department and the intensive care unit of the Lachine Hospital. Currently, the emergency room is already closed at night and only welcomes patients who go there by their own means between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
In a response sent by email, the MUHC mentions having held numerous meetings with various stakeholders and having carried out a “thorough analysis” of the clinical activities of the Lachine Hospital. A decision is expected by the end of April regarding the future of the facility.
“As always, we have the interests of our patients, our employees and the population of Lachine at heart, and we are convinced that the best solution will be found to ensure a prosperous future for the hospital,” it added. .
To justify the public outing organized from Quebec, the deputy Enrico Ciccone declared that there was nothing stronger than a citizen movement to put pressure on the government.
The MNA for Marquette requested a meeting with the MUHC and Minister Dubé, inviting them to listen to the population.
His colleague André Fortin, spokesperson for health, added that he found it inconceivable that we should embark on an operation to close emergencies in Quebec when they are overflowing with patients.
“Boots have to follow chops,” he scoffed, speaking of Minister Dubé’s promises of decentralization.
In the eyes of the Liberal MP, the issue of services in Lachine is the ideal opportunity for the Minister to demonstrate his real decentralizing vision by listening to the needs expressed by the community.
During the question period, Christian Dubé argued that “proximity management means letting our managers do the work they have to do” to find a solution “and respecting the essential role of the Lachine Hospital as a Community Hospital”.
He said he fully trusts the management staff in place and insisted on the fact that the network is struggling with a lack of medical manpower.
The management of the MUHC speaks of a lack of health professionals to explain its inability to keep the emergency department open 24 hours a day.
A petition put online in support of the safeguarding of the hospital and its mission had collected more than 3,000 signatures on Tuesday. Liberal MP Enrico Ciccone also filed a petition with 4,570 signatures in support of the establishment in the National Assembly.
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